The Fourth Dojutsu
by HistorianoftheKais
Summary: The Rinnegan, Byakugan, and the Sharingan are hailed as the three great Dojutsus in the land. What few people realize is that there is one other Dojutsu that equals them in power. It is time for the great bloodline of Whirlpool Country to reveal itself
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer- Correct me if I'm wrong but I do believe that the name of this site is Fanfiction net. Logically, that means that I don't own Naruto.

Iruka was currently sitting at his desk taking a break from grading his student's papers. His classroom was currently empty because of the fact that it was currently lunch/recess period. Unlike other teachers who liked to hang out in the lounge during this time of day, Iruka liked to catch up on grading his student's homework after he ate his lunch. The scarred Chunin's thoughts wandered onto one particular student- Naruto Uzumaki. Out of all of the students in his class, Iruka felt the most drawn to the resident prankster of the class. Iruka supposed that he was drawn to Naruto because both of them were orphans and, unlike Sasuke Uchiha, had to deal with being a social outcast.

However in Iruka's mind Naruto's lot was worse then his own had been growing up. Unlike Iruka, Naruto had to deal with the stigma of being a demon container. Although the attacks against his person had stopped some years ago, Naruto still had to deal with being shunned by practically the entire village. Iruka didn't want to imagine trying to grow up as alone as Naruto was. Naruto's situation altogether was a fate that Iruka wouldn't wish on his worst enemy and defiantly not a kid like Naruto.

Propping his head up with his hand, Iruka sighed and thought about Naruto's academic situation. Naruto had to be the WORST student that Iruka had ever tried to teach. The boy was constantly scraping by in the more intellectual parts of the academy's curriculum. As for his applied ninja skills, Naruto was only average at best at Taijutsu, slightly below average at Ninjutsu, and pathetic at Genjutsu. To make the whole matter worse in Iruka's opinion, Naruto was loud and like to spend a good deal of his time pulling pranks. While some of Naruto's pranking skills could be translated into good trap making skills, it wasn't helping Naruto in the areas that he needed it.

Sitting back in his chair, Iruka thought about what he could do to help out his (although he wouldn't admit it) favorite student. Naruto didn't have the benefit of a ninja clan to help oversee his training or to go give him a slight edge over the non-ninja clan students. Unlike some students, like Sakura Hurano who didn't have an active ninja currently in the family, Naruto wasn't good at book learning. Actually, Naruto at times didn't seem to be good at sitting down for long periods of time.

Iruka's eyes suddenly lit up as that last thought of his caused a flash of inspiration to occur. A small smile started to form on Iruka's face as he thought over his sudden plan. The idea was genius in its own right and Iruka was surprised that no one had tried it with Naruto before. Sadly Iruka realized that the reason no one had tried it was because most people didn't care enough to help Naruto out. With the small amount of people that cared about Naruto, the chances of someone else thinking of this plan was quite small. Iruka also realized that Naruto would have to be approached in a certain manner in order for this plan to work. However, Iruka was sure he could help Naruto pull the boy's grades up and maybe even cut down on the number of pranks that were pulled in class.

* * *

Class was over for the day and Iruka's students were happily walking out the door. Just as Naruto was walking past Iruka's desk, Iruka calmly spoke, "Naruto." Much to Iruka's relief Naruto stopped walking out the door and turned to face the scarred Chunin. With a friendly smile on his face Iruka continued speaking, "You're not in trouble but I would like to talk you. Will you please go sit down in the front row? I'll get to what I want to say once everyone leaves." 

Do to a few of his classmates snickering at him; Naruto's cheeks became a little rosy. However Naruto respected Iruka and quietly got out of the line of academy students leaving the room. Besides, Naruto hoped, Iruka may just be going to take him out for Ramen! Sitting down in one of the seats that Iruka told him to sit down in, Naruto impatiently waited for his classmates to leave the room. Iruka closed the door behind Choji as the big boned boy left the classroom and turned to face Naruto. Looking up at his favorite teacher Naruto called out, "Why did you have me stay behind? Is it because they've recognized my awesome skills and are going to promote me?"

Iruka had to bite back a slight chuckle as he slowly shook his head. "No Naruto, you aren't going to be promoted to genin; although I am sure that you will be one soon enough next year when your class graduates." Naruto had a slight pout on his face when he heard Iruka's news but soon brightened back up. Walking over to Naruto, Iruka put his hands on the desk in front of Naruto and looked Naruto strait in the eye. Once he was sure that he had Naruto's full attention, Iruka continued to talk. "Naruto, I've been going over the work that you've done so far this year in class and I have mixed feelings about what I see."

Naruto's attention was even more focused on Iruka then head had been. With a slight bit of apprehension in his eyes Naruto waited for Iruka to continue. With a gentle and brotherly smile on his face Iruka continued, "Naruto, you have the potential to be a great ninja BUT, you aren't working on realizing that potential." Iruka hastily continued talking to prevent Naruto from protesting this last fact. "You see Naruto; you have three problems that you need to overcome if you want to start reaching your true potential. I've spent some time thinking about how you can overcome these problems and I've come to a solution."

Although he annoyed that he was being told he had faults, Naruto was listening to Iruka so that he could hear how to correct the mistakes. Getting off the desk, Iruka continued to talk in a friendly manner. "Your first problem Naruto is that you have trouble controlling you enthusiasm and emotions. Enthusiasm and emotions are very good and an important part of what makes us both human. However, both of these things cause trouble for ninjas if their not kept in check. I'm not saying that you have to be cold like Sasuke is but you need to learn some control. Your second problem is that you don't pay attention to things like you're supposed to. I know at times that what I teach is boring but if you don't pay attention in class, how are you supposed to pay attention on a mission? During a mission, a single moment of inattention could spell disaster. Finally Naruto, you have a great deal less control over your Chakra compared to other students your age."

Iruka stopped at this point in his speech to make sure that Naruto was paying attention to him. While he was currently frowning, Naruto was paying attention to Iruka. Happy that Naruto was paying attention, Iruka continued once again. "As I've said earlier, I've come up with a way to help you on all of these accounts. I wouldn't have brought these things to your attention if I didn't want to help you improve. For the first two problems I've told you about I recommend that you take up meditation in order to correct. For the first few days or weeks this idea may seem boring and a waste of time to you. But I know that in the long run it will help you. As for your Chakra control problem, I'm going to teach you some Chakra control exercises. We normally don't teach these exercises at the academy because almost none of the students produce enough Chakra to merit teaching these exercises. So Naruto, will you work with me to correct these problems you have?"

Naruto's mind was furiously working on what Iruka was telling him. A large part of Naruto was upset to hear that he had so many problems impeding his way to become Hokage. However, Naruto was grateful that Iruka cared enough about him to tell him about those problems. The fact that Iruka was willing to work with him to help him correct those problems made Naruto happy. With a smile on his face, Naruto cheerfully replied, "Don't worry Iruka. I'll do what you tell me to and become a great ninja!"

* * *

Eight months after Iruka took Naruto under his wing for personal tutoring, the two of them could be found over at Iruka's house. Both teacher and student were sitting on Iruka's family room floor back to back in the lotus meditative position. It had taken a few weeks, but Iruka was able to get Naruto to take up meditation and stick with it. At first the scarred chunnin had to resort to bribery in the form of teaching Naruto various E- and even the occasional D-rank jutsu. However Naruto had eventually come to see the benefits that meditation had brought the young whiskered boy. No longer was Naruto the loud and brash young boy he was earlier in the year. While still very happy and joyful, Naruto now had an air of true confidence about him. He also no longer strove for everyone's recognition but only the approval of those people that truly mattered to him. 

Personally Iruka was very proud at Naruto's accomplishments. The boy had through his own hard work managed to pull himself up from the 'dead last' position to slightly above average in the class. No longer seeing 'cool and powerful' jutsus as necessary to being a great ninja, Naruto had made great strides in mastering the jutsus that Iruka had taught him. During several of the in-class sparing sessions that took place throughout the year Naruto repeatedly made it into the top 5 of the class. There were several very sore egos from some of the clan heirs when the 'dead last' managed to defeat their attempts at a clan jutsu with only a basic and 'useless' jutsu. The most memorable occasion of this in Iruka's mind was when Naruto was fighting against Kiba. Naruto escaped a particularly nasty attack of Kiba's by using the replacement technique with Sasuke. Sadly for Naruto and Kiba, neither of them could escape Sasuke's enraged fangirls.

One thing though, that had both fascinated and frustrated Iruka, was the amount of chakra that Naruto had at his disposal. Even with hours of practice after school doing the water walking exercise, Naruto barely able to create ONE clone. This wouldn't be too bad if it wasn't for the fact that part of the requirements to become a genin was to be able to produce TWO clones. Not wanting Naruto to be held back due to circumstances beyond his control, Iruka went and had a private meeting with Sarutobi. The worried chunin had carefully explained the situation to the aging Hokage and had listed the various lengths that he had gone to in order to help Naruto control his chakra. Sarutobi told Iruka not to worry about Naruto's little problem and that he would help find a way around that little problem.

During the eight months of private tutoring Iruka and Naruto grew even closer together. There might not have been any indication of it in the classroom but Iruka and Naruto had started to view each other like brothers. A part of this could be seen in that Naruto continued to want to meditate with Iruka and just hang out with him. These private meditation times together were something that Iruka always looked forward to and was more than happy to continue to do with Naruto.

As he meditated, Iruka focused on the Chakra in the room. Whereas is his chakra was orderly and calm, Naruto's chakra was reasonably massive and bubbly. The boy's Chakra seemed to be best described as a surface of an agitated body of water. Iruka was very impressed that Naruto had been able to get his Chakra control down to this point. When the two of them had first started the mediation sessions, Naruto's Chakra could at best be described as a raging bonfire. It was powerful but wild and uncontrolled. At first Iruka had been worried that he would see traces of the Kyuubi's chakra bleeding off into Naruto's chakra. A part of Iruka had suspected that the Kyuubi might have been responsible for Naruto's lack of control and massive Chakra supply. Luckily in Iruka's opinion that was not the case and it was just that Naruto was naturally very powerful.

Slowly, and much to Iruka's pleasure, Naruto's chakra calmed down and started to seem like a reasonably still pond. If Naruto could continue to hold his chakra in this state, it was conceivable that Naruto would finally be able to gain the control the boy needed in order to pass the genin exam. True Naruto would only have 'average' control over his chakra compared to his fellow students. However, in real terms that would grant Naruto the power of a high chunin or low jonin in terms of chakra supply. While still focusing on his own meditation, Iruka slowly counted the amount of time that Naruto was able to hold his Chakra in that position.

Iruka was getting ready to end his meditation session and suggest that he and Naruto head out of teriyaki when Naruto did something that completely surprised Iruka. Naruto's Chakra, which had a very vivid and deep blue color to it, suddenly _shifted_ its color to a pale blue-white. This sudden shift in the color of Naruto's chakra completely shocked Iruka and caused him to fall out of his meditative state. Shaking his head to get over the shock, Iruka stood up and walked over to being in front of Naruto. Iruka leaned over and gently shook Naruto's shoulder.

Naruto slowly responded to Iruka's shaking by grunting and opening his eyes. To Iruka's immense shock Naruto's eyes had changed. The boy's normal sky blue eyes were now the same vivid orange that Naruto liked so much. On this orange background in each eye Naruto had what looked like eight spokes of equal lengths joined together like a map compass or a star. These 'stars' in Naruto's eyes were both imperial purple in color. Iruka was completely shocked that Naruto had what seemed to be a bloodline. All Naruto's 'big brother' could think was that Naruto needed to know what had happened to him and that the Hokage needed to be informed about this development.

* * *

Sarutobi was calmly sitting in his seat in his office smoking his pipe while looking at the confused Naruto and Iruka sitting across from him. The old Hokage took a deep breath, removed his pipe from his mouth, and exhaled a puff of smoke. Putting down his pipe Sarutobi looked Naruto in the eyes, which still had their bloodline activated, and smiled. "Naruto," Sarutobi began to speak, "I knew that eventually I would have to have this conversation with you, I just wasn't expecting to have it with you at such a young age. As is plainly obvious, the Uzumaki clan does have a bloodline. The name of your bloodline is the Ranseigan otherwise known as the Chaos Star Eye." 

"Naruto, I know that you have repeatedly asked me to tell you about your family and I am truly sorry for not telling you about your parents. You see, both of your parents were powerful ninjas and wonderful people. Sadly they both had some powerful enemies so your father before he died asked me to keep your heritage a secret until you've met certain conditions. According to your father's wishes I can't tell you right now about his side of your family. However, I am permitted to tell you about your mother's family because it is from her that you get your bloodline."

Both Iruka and Naruto grew more interested in what Sarutobi was saying when he mentioned that he was allowed to talk about Naruto's mother. Without bothering to stop talking Sarutobi continued, "Your mother Naruto was Kushina Uzumaki. Kushina came to Konoha when she was 14 years old from the destroyed Village Hidden among the Whirlpools seeking sanctuary. I granted her sanctuary and she quickly rose in the ranks to become one of the better Jonins in Konoha's employment. You and your mother are so alike Naruto in how you look at and handle the world. Both of your cheerful attitudes are very refreshing to those who have to deal with the harsh world that is a ninja's lot in life. Sadly she died during the Kyuubi attack due to a combination of a complicated pregnancy and the severe lack of medical personal and supplies because of the attack. Don't be upset Naruto; I was told that the nurse who was with Kushina as she died that she died happily and was proud that you were born."

Sarutobi took a second to just smile at Naruto and then the old ninja reached into his desk and pulled out a thick hard-back book. After setting the book down in front of Naruto, Sarutobi continued to speak. "Although your mother showed me her dojutsu several times and told me its name, she didn't talk about it and what it did. She said that such things like a bloodline limit were merely tools and deserved no more notice then a kunai or a sword. While she didn't like the attention that bloodlines have in Konoha, she did understand the need for information on the bloodlines to be kept secure. Kushina gave me this book when she and her husband found out that she was pregnant with you. I was instructed to hand this book over to you if neither of your parents lived and when you activated your bloodline or you found out about your heritage."

Naruto looked down at the table and focused on the cover of the book. There were three words written on the cover in purple letters and descending order: UZUMAKI, CLAN, and CODEX. In between Uzumaki and clan was the spiral shape that Naruto had been told was his clan emblem. A drawing of the Ranseigan was between the words clan and codex. For a boy who had never known his parents, the book seemed to be worth more than anything else that Naruto had ever seen. That book represented a connection to something that Naruto had always wanted; a family. Naruto gently picked the book up and clutched it tight to his chest.

A grandfatherly smile slowly spread across Sarutobi's face. The old Hokage considered Naruto to be as much of a grandson to him as Konohamaru was. Being able to give Naruto such a precious gift as that book represented was something Sarutobi had wanted to do for a while. Wanting to wrap this business up so that Naruto could go read the Uzumaki clan codex, Sarutobi said, "Naruto after you read your clan book, would you please tell me what your bloodline allows you to do? It would help me when I have to place you and your classmates on genin teams if I know what your abilities are. Also-" Sarutobi stopped for a second to pull out a small scroll and hand it to Naruto, "I know how hard you've been working to try and get the clone jutsu under control. From what Iruka has told me it sounds like you just have too much Chakra to be able to do the jutsu well enough to pass the academy standards so I found this more advanced version of the clone jutsu for you."

Curious as to what technique Sarutobi was giving him, Naruto opened the scroll to see 'Shadow clone Jutsu' written as the heading. Naruto looked strait into Sarutobi's eyes as if asking his 'grandfather' for an answer. As if to answer Naruto, Sarutobi started to explain himself. "This jutsu requires a FAR greater amount of Chakra compared to the regular Clone technique to work. Kushina actually brought that technique to Konoha with her. She told me that the Uzumaki had invented the technique so that they could have a reliable clone technique to use. Please DON'T share that technique with your classmates; it is extremely dangerous for the average ninja below Chunin rank." Naruto nodded his head to show that he understood what Sarutobi was telling him.

* * *

It was late at night and Naruto was currently reading the Uzumaki clan codex in his bed. The codex started off telling him the origin of the Uzumaki clan. According to the codex, there were once three brothers who had studied under the Six Realms Sage. Once the brother's training was complete the Six Realms Sage took the three brothers to a sacred shrine. Naruto's ancestor had apparently never written down where this shrine was and what exactly happened there. All that his ancestor had told Naruto's forefathers about what happened at that shrine was that the brothers were offered a choice by the spirit of the shrine. 

The choice was a simple one, which do you seek the most: power, prestige, or knowledge? The youngest brother had chosen power as his answer and would go on to found the Uchiha clan. Prestige was the option of choice to the middle brother and that person would go on to eventually founding the Hyuga Clan. Finally the eldest brother, Naruto's ancestor, had given the answer that he sought knowledge. Once the three brothers' answers were given to the spirit that the shrine was dedicated to, the brothers and their teacher left the shrine. Shortly after they left their teacher and the shrine a quarrel broke out between the three brothers. That quarrel caused the three brothers to each go his separate way and, although they did stay in contact via letters, never see each other again.

The Eldest brother eventually came to what would become the Land of Whirlpools and he established a hermitage. It was after several years in seclusion that Naruto's ancestor had developed the very first Ranseigan. Over the next decade after the Ranseigan appeared Naruto's ancestor started to pick up some students. Eventually a rather timid girl who was recorded as being the daughter of a local farmer captured the Elder Brother's heart and the two were married. This happy couple only had one child, a cheerful and energetic son that they named Jimmu. Jimmu would apparently go on to spend his life fighting to protect the Land of Whirlpools from various bandits and even modern ninjas that were starting to show up. It was Jimmu that gave the family the name of Uzumaki. According to the family tree in the book, Jimmu Uzumaki was Naruto's great-great-great-great-grandfather.

After the family history, the Uzumaki clan codex went on to explain the Ranseigan in great detail. Naruto's ancestors divided the Ranseigan's abilities into two categories: younglings' abilities and parental abilities. This distinction, Naruto read, was because there was a major change that occurred to a Ranseigan bearer when the bearer first sired a child. While both sets of eyes looked exactly the same, a parental Ranseigan had expanded abilities that the younglings couldn't access.

Besides a sharpening of the eyesight, the Ranseigan had two main abilities. The first ability was that with the Ranseigan a person could remotely look at something even things that behind the user or in a building. It wasn't like the Hyuga's 'all seeing' Byakogan as the Ranseigan only allowed you to see what was going on as if you were physically in the spot you were remotely looking from. Secondly and in Naruto's opinion even more impressively, a person with the Ranseigan could actually look into the future! This wasn't like the Sharingan, which only allow a person to make very accurate guesses from what could be seen, but actual prescience abilities.

As cool as the ability to actually look into the future was in Naruto's opinion it wasn't without some troubles. First off, there was the fact that the Ranseigan could only see up to a minute into the future. It was biologically impossible for the eye to see even a second further into the future. The next, and really the biggest, trouble with the Ranseigan was that when he was looking into the future he wouldn't be able to see what was going on _now. _True Naruto could choose how far into the future he could view or simply choose not to use that particular ability of the Ranseigan. However, Naruto didn't want to cut off such a major part of his bloodline. Luckily for Naruto, the Uzumaki clan codex listed several mental exercises that would allow him to use the Ranseigan's prescience abilities in a fight without getting confused.

Curious as to what a parental Ranseigan was capable of doing, Naruto turned the page. According to the codex, a parental Ranseigan gained the ability to use three very powerful jutsus. Genesis was a jutsu that allowed the caster to create, awaken, or enhance a bloodline in a person as long as it wasn't another Ranseigan bearer. Golgotha allowed a person to transfer chakra from one person or group to another person or group. This technique was useful in battle because its caster could drain his opponents' chakra dry and give the chakra to an ally without even touching the person. Finally there was the dreaded Megiddo, a technique that could completely destroy the chakra system and/or the bloodline of a person that was targeted by the jutsu without actually killing the person.

Naruto felt a pain in his heart as he read the techniques that would have been available to his mother had she survived. With jutsus like those three, she would have been able to stop the villagers from attacking him. Gogotha and Megiddo could have been used to stop those rioting villagers from attacking while Genesis would have commanded such respect that no one wanting a bloodline would dare to hassle him.

As soon as those thoughts entered Naruto's mind he quickly stomped on them. He could see why his mother had been very quiet about her bloodline. If Kushina had revealed the Uzumaki bloodline, she would have been either feared or respected only for the Ranseigan. Naruto figured that even if the villagers knew of the Ranseigan, they still wouldn't respect him. They might possibly respect his clan name like they did with Sasuke but they wouldn't respect him as an individual. While that situation might be wonderful for Sasjerk, Naruto knew that it wasn't for him. He wanted to be recognized for his own person and not just because of who he might be descended from. Right then and there Naruto vowed not blab about the Ranseigan but only use it during training or when he was on a mission that needed it to be used.

Letting out a small yawn, Naruto figured that it was time for him to go to bed. Naruto opened up the drawer of his nightstand and reverently put the Uzumaki Clan Codex in the empty drawer. After closing the door Naruto turned off the light and put his head to his pillow. He would, after all, need a good night's rest so that he could be at his best tomorrow morning. Graduation was coming up in two months and Naruto figured that he would need all available time to train that he could.

Author's notes: So what do you think of the story so far? I'm planning on working on this story and Mother Moon for a while before I go back and start writing the sequel to Prince of the Planets. If anyone would like to suggest a romantic partner for Naruto I am all ears. Please note that all calls for a Hinata/Naruto pairing will be ignored (HistorianoftheKais activates his Stargate to escape enraged Hinata/Naruto fans) and that I want to keep the girls at a reasonable age gap with Naruto. That means no Naruto/Tsunade romantic pairings.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and if you try to say that I go I will lock in a room with Sasuke's fangirls and tell them that you are keeping them from seeing their Sasuke-kun.

Iruka and Naruto were currently sitting in Iruka's kitchen both having a cup of tea. When Naruto had come to class that morning he had been quieter and more subdued than the boy usually was. Since he had spent so much time with Naruto it wasn't hard for Iruka to figure out that Naruto's attitude change was because of the boy finding out about the Uzumaki Clan. Worried about his little brother, Iruka calmly said, "Naruto, how are you holding up after what you found out yesterday?"

Naruto let out a small sigh before he smiled and said, "I'm doing reasonably well Iruka. The Uzumaki Clan Codex has a lot, and I mean a lot, of information on my clan and the Ranseigan." Seeing Iruka's curious face Naruto continued to talk. "Did you know that the Uzumaki, the Uchiha, and Hyuga are all descended from three different brothers who trained under the Six Realms Sage? I bet you never imagined something like that before. Or the fact that the Uchiha are descended from the youngest of the three brothers, while my clan on the other hand, is in fact descended from the oldest of the three." Naruto cracked a slightly wider smile as he looked at Iruka's shocked face.

That little revelation of Naruto's had completely shocked the scarred Chunin. The origins of the Uchiha and the Hyuga clans had always been a complete mystery to Iruka or any other person that Iruka had talked to about those clans. Both the Uchiha and the Hyuga were notoriously tight lipped when it came to the origins of their clans. In fact it had been whispered by some people that the Uchiha and Hyugas themselves didn't know of the origin of their clans and their bloodlines. The most popular and widely accepted theory among the Konoha ninjas was that the Sharingan and thus the Uchiha clan was an offshoot of the Hyuga clan. Personally Iruka had never believed this theory as it had too many variables and inconsistencies for his tastes. To have that particular mystery solved greatly pleased Iruka who was a closet detective novel fanatic.

Although he was pleased with having that mystery solved Iruka became very worried for Naruto. The political ramifications for Konoha if the origin of the Ranseigan, Sharingan, and Byakogan became common knowledge were immense. While some of the nastier parts of Konoha would be enraged that 'the demon brat' was connected to two noble clans; that was not what worried Iruka. By the laws of Fire Country and thus Konoha clans could only separate under certain rare circumstances. Unless the Uzumaki Clan Codex had a written account of one of these very limited circumstances happening then there were in fact no Hyuga or Uchiha clans. At least, the Hyuga or Uchiha clans wouldn't exist in a legal sense. From a legal standpoint the Hyuga and Uchihas were in fact Uzumakis with Naruto as their clan head. If Naruto chose to reveal this fact he would automatically become a chieftain and would, despite any protests that people would be sure to throw, have all of the political power that the Uchiha and Hyuga clans had accumulated.

Looking over at Naruto, Iruka could see that Naruto was well aware of this fact. If this had been the Naruto of a year ago Iruka was sure that the boy would have been yelling this fact out as loud as he could. However for Iruka's peace of mind, Naruto had greatly matured since the two of them had started to have their private lessons. The Naruto sitting calmly in front of Iruka was able to accept what the facts he had revealed meant and their potential consequences if they ever got widespread. Given Naruto's dislike for Sasuke and how a majority of the Hyuga clan acted; Iruka was sure that Kakashi would sooner step into a gay bar with Guy then Naruto would admit in his connection to those two clans in public. A small part of Iruka was however disappointed that Naruto wouldn't likely admit of his real position. Iruka would have done a year's worth of D-ranked missions without pay just to see the looks on Hiashi's face when the old stiff was told that he wasn't in fact a clan leader but had to obey Naruto.

Brushing that amusing thought away from his mind, Iruka locked eyes with Naruto and said, "So Naruto, What does the Ranseigan do? Given the powers that the Byakogan and the Sharingan hold I'm sure that the Ranseigan is nothing to laugh at. If there is anything that I can do to help you train in your bloodline's abilities I would be glad to help." Figuring that if anyone besides Grandpa Sarutobi to know what the Ranseigan could it would be Iruka, Naruto started to explain it. At first Iruka was a bit confused at the remote viewing capacity of the Ranseigan. Naruto then explained that it was supposed to be somewhat similar to a ventriloquist throwing their voice except in this case Naruto was 'throwing' his eyesight. Privately, after the remote viewing abilities were explained to him, Iruka thought that the Ranseigan was better for spying purposes then either of its 'brother' dojutsus.

While the remote viewing ability amazing to Iruka; he had been completely shocked when Naruto revealed the Ranseigan's ability to actually see into the future. For a second Iruka thought that Naruto was pulling his leg. After all, how could someone 'see' the future when their own actions would have an effect on what they were seeing? Naruto explained that from what he had read the Ranseigan actually saw all of the possible futures and that it was this constant exponential growth of possible futures that had created the biological limit of 60 seconds on how far into the future could be seen. The Uzumaki Clan Codex had gone on, or so Naruto told Iruka, to state that there were unique changes in the part of the Uzumaki brain where the senses were processed. These unique adaptations where what allowed the Uzumaki to locate the 'true' path of the future and would automatically adjust the 'path' of the future that was seen as conditions changed.

Once the explanations were over, the two almost-brothers sat in silence for a few minutes. The silence was ended when Naruto looked up from his tea and said in a somber tone, "Iruka when I die, destroy my eyes." Seeing the shocked and horrified look on Iruka's face Naruto continued. "Listen to me bro; the Ranseigan CAN'T be used by a non-Uzumaki. This isn't a matter of pride; it's a biological fact. In the history of the Uzumaki Clan there were three attempts to transplant the Ranseigan from a fallen clan member to a non-clan member who deemed worthy of our bloodline. Each and every attempt ended with poor recipient going mad and quickly dying afterwards of severe brain hemorrhaging. After the third attempt it was declared that no more attempts were to ever be made. Only a fellow blood Uzumaki can receive a transplanted Ranseigan without suffering ill effects. Please Iruka, you and I know what would happen if I die without heirs."

Iruka thought long and hard over Naruto's grim request. As much as Iruka didn't want to admit it, he knew exactly what Konoha's council would do if Naruto died. They would promptly order Naruto's eyes to be removed from his cooling corpse and immediately given to 'deserving' ninjas. The greedy members on the council had tried to do the same thing immediately after the Uchiha Massacre. Most of the ninja, including Kakashi to the surprise of some non-shinobi, of Konoha had been completely disgusted with the proposal. They all, although they would never admit it to the civilians, had offered thanks to the kami that Itachi had coated his blades with a special chemical that sped up the decay rate in his fellow Uchiha's eyes so that the eyes were useless. It was one thing to study a corpse to learn what medications were used on it or even what techniques the person favored; but it was an entirely different thing to use a corpse as spare parts.

Finally Iruka came to a decision; he would honor and fulfill his little brother's wish if it ever came to that. It would, after all, be the best Iruka could do to help make Naruto's passing into the next world a comforting as such a thing ever possibly happened to the boy. Naruto was the kind of person who never wanted to hurt someone if he didn't have to and the thought that he could potentially hurt two innocent people after death must not have sat well with the boy. Taking Naruto's hand into his, Iruka firmly said, "Have no fear Naruto. I-if that even ever comes up I will destroy your eyes." As Iruka expected, Naruto cheered up immensely once he had made the promise to the boy. Wanting to completely erase the somber air that was hanging around in the room Iruka said, "Let's go out and train Naruto, you need to learn how to use the Ranseigan after all."

* * *

Tenten was currently taking an early morning walk through the wooded outskirts of Konoha. Her team had completed yet another C-ranked mission a few days ago and had been given some down time by Sarutobi. Normally during her down time Tenten would get to spend hours playing her favorite game of 'try and skewer the green Guy Clone'. Sadly Lee was stuck at home sick with the flu. Usually when she didn't have Lee around to help train with Tenten could count of Neji being around to train with. However Tenten's luck failed her again today because Neji had to stay home to take care of some private clan matter. Since she didn't have any training partners Tenten had decided to just relax and take a walk for an hour or so.

As Tenten was enjoying the comforting sounds of the forest she faintly heard the sound of a fight going on. Curious as to what was going on, Tenten followed the sounds of the fight. Her ears led Tenten strait to the edge of a small meadow and Tenten was surprised at what she saw happening in that field. Right there in the field was Iruka her old teacher and a blond boy that she couldn't quiet place sparing. While the spar was happening in front of her, Tenten was reminded of what Guy had once said regarding Iruka. Her annoyingly lovable Jonin sensei had told Team Guy once that Iruka was generalist specialist. It had taken some work but Tenten had been able to get Guy to explain that oxymoron. Guy had been trying to tell them that Iruka, even though he was only a Chunin, was able to defeat the average Jonin because of the fact that he had well rounded skills. Apparently a lot of Jonin in Konoha respected Iruka because of the fact that the man had made a point to not specialize in one or two fields but to equally increase all of his ninja abilities.

If Tenten had been surprised to hear that about her friendly old teacher; she was astonished to see the proof of it happening right in front of her. As Iruka fought against his currently unknown to her opponent Tenten could see that all of that praise was very much deserved. Her Aunt and Uncle had at one time mentioned that Iruka had been hand-picked by the Hokage himself to be an academy teacher. Given how he handled his class when she was at the academy and the skill that Iruka was showing here Tenten could believe that rumor. Iruka's taijutsu form and abilities weren't as good as Guy's, but Iruka easily mixed up his physical attacks with weapons use and a good helping of ninjutsu. Unlike other Chunin that Tenten had been able to watch sparing; Iruka seemed to stick to only C, D, and even E rank jutsus.

At first Tenten thought that Iruka was limiting himself because of the fact that his partner could only be a genin at most. However as she watched the spar progress Tenten quickly discarded that idea. Whoever Iruka's opponent was, it was obvious to Tenten that he was good. The unknown blond seemed to know exactly what Iruka was going to do before her old teacher did something. Iruka's opponent used a strange taijutsu style that could best be described in Tenten's mind as the strength and ferociousness of the Iron Fist mixed in with the flexibility and grace of the Gentle Fist. Over all it was a very good show for Tenten as she liked how both teacher and student were using a great variety of moves, most of them relatively 'low level' jutsus, and using them in extremely creative ways. Although she was a weapon's specialist, Tenten had tried not to over specialize and go after one or two flashy techniques like most genin nowadays seemed to like to do.

Suddenly to Tenten's surprise Iruka suddenly called out, "Alright Naruto. You're defiantly able to handle fighting at 10 seconds. I want you to go up to 12 seconds now and come at me with everything you've got." This statement of Iruka's greatly confused Tenten. What on earth did Iruka mean that his opponent, Naruto she silently corrected herself now having a name for the boy, was able to handle fighting at 10 seconds? Iruka and Naruto's spar suddenly became even more confusing to Tenten as she observed that Naruto suddenly wasn't performing like he was earlier in the fight. Oh the boy's skill was still there but it seemed that his timing and reflexes had been thrown off. Completely confused by this, Tenten quietly slipped away to go tell Guy about this. Hopefully, Tenten was praying, Guy would be able to explain what she had just seen without ranting too much about the power of youth.

* * *

Forty minutes after Tenten left the meadow Iruka and Naruto, neither of whom knew that their private training time had been observed, were sitting down on a log sharing a bottle of water. Iruka had been taking Naruto to this out of the way meadow as often as he could for the past month to help Naruto train with the Ranseigan. Sarutobi himself had actually recommended this area as it was well out of the usual paths of people who went into the forest. Neither Iruka nor Naruto complained about the location as was perfect for Iruka to help Naruto. Specifically Iruka was helping Naruto learn how to use what the two had privately dubbed the 'seer sight' aspect of the Ranseigan. Naruto was more than able to train himself in his apartment on how to look into the future or to use the remote viewing abilities of the Ranseigan.

However just seeing the future was not enough to ensure Naruto's control of the Ranseigan; especially in a combat situation where due to the increased number of variables it was harder to see further into the future. In the quiet of his apartment Naruto could look out his window and gaze a full minute into the future, but when Naruto use the prescience abilities of the Ranseigan to watch a spar he could barely see 20 seconds into the future. One time a week ago Iruka took Naruto over to observe two Chunin teams practicing in a mock battle. After the Chunin's practice was over Naruto had privately told Iruka that he had only been able to see 5 seconds into the future during the fight.

At first Iruka had been confused at the decreasing time in Naruto's sight that Naruto was describing. Oh Iruka could easily grasp the fact that in each instance that the reduction in Naruto's sight was caused by the increasing amount of variables that Naruto's Ranseigan had to observe. It was confusing Iruka was the fact that the Ranseigan had that 60 second ceiling maximum. 60 seconds on the battlefield held infinitely more variables then 60 seconds spent peacefully at home. So why was it that if you could see 60 seconds into the future on the battlefield you couldn't beyond 60 seconds while at home? Naruto had told Iruka when he asked that question that the Uzumaki clan had been stumped by that question and had given up trying to solve the answer. The 60 second limit was just a fact of life with the Ranseigan. Besides, since when did looking into the future follow any laws of logic?

Naruto, who had just finished off the water bottle, turned to Iruka and said with a big smile, "So Iruka how did I do? What do you think of my reconstruction of the Uzu Sen Ken (Thousand Fists of the Whirlpool) style?" At the back of the Uzumaki Clan Codex there had been several storage seals that were set to open only to Naruto or a descendent of his if the boy had had one. Inside the storage seals Naruto had discovered a small library of books. Among the books was a book containing the Uzumaki Clan taijutsu style with step by step instructions to take someone new to taijutsu all the way up to a grandmaster level.

Iruka turned to look down at his younger brother and gave Naruto a big smile before starting to go into an in depth analysis. "Over all Naruto I would have to say that your doing great in the Uzu Sen Ken and that over all your taijutsu level right now is mid to high genin bordering on low Chunin level. As for using your Ranseigan I must say that I'm impressed with your control and ability. Just remember to not go past 10 seconds for now if you're in a fight for real. Given your consistent performances in both in class and privately with me I know that you have the Genin test in the bag."

* * *

Guy, the great beautiful green beast of Konoha as he would describe himself, was walking into the Hokage Tower with a surprisingly serious look on his face. As Guy walked through the corridors every ninja that could scurried away from him. They weren't running from killing intent, of which Guy was producing none, but from the instinctive knowledge that they didn't want to get in his way. Something in the back of their brains was telling them that if they got in Guy's way now; they would wish that they had been forced to watch that infernal sunset of Guy's for 10 hours strait.

Ignoring the protests of the Hokage's secretary Guy walked into Sarutobi's office and slammed his hands on the old leader's desk. Sarutobi looked up from the paperwork that he was previously doing to stare at Guy's frowning face. In his usual dignified voice Sarutobi calmly said, "Yes Guy, is there something that I can do for you?"

Guy stared down into Sarutobi's eyes and said in a surprisingly harsh tone for Guy, "Yes there is something you can do Lord Hokage; explain." There was a slight confusion in Sarutobi's eyes as the old leader couldn't quite figure out what Guy wanted an explanation of. Before Sarutobi could voice his confusion Guy clarified his demand. "I've just and an interesting conversation with my student Tenten. She was walking through the woods today and stumbled upon Iruka and a certain boy named Naruto sparing. As she watched their spar she heard Iruka say and I quote: 'You're defiantly able to handle fighting at 10 seconds. I want you to go up to 12 seconds now'. Why, why Lord Hokage did you not inform me that Lady Kushina sensei's child had survived!"

Sarutobi took a deep breath as he had known that this conversation would have to eventually happen. Inwardly Sarutobi was cursing his luck that it was Guy and not Kakashi that he was having the conversation with first; now he had to pay off HALF of Tsuande's gambling debt. It just wasn't fair; Tsunade was the legendary sucker and almost never won.

Shoving all thoughts of how he was going to avoid the poor house to the back of his mind for the moment; Sarutobi collected his thoughts and prepared to answer Guy. "Thanks to the Kyuubi attack, all of the people that Naruto's parents had requested in their wills to take care of the boy were dead. If I had told either you or Kakashi that Naruto had lived you both would have demanded custody. Both of you were only 14 years old at the time and totally incapable of raising a child even you two had decided to team up. The courts would have ruled that Naruto be placed into state custody. Thus Naruto would be right where he technically is now except that he would have to deal with Iwa assassins all the time and would be a bone of contention among the greedier of the council members. Only I, Jiraiya, Tsuande, the head doctor of the hospital, and the Fire Daimyo know Naruto's full heritage. Naruto and Iruka only know of Naruto's maternal heritage and that's because Naruto has activated his bloodline limit."

Guy silently listened to Sarutobi's reasons for keep Naruto's survival a secret and had to admit that they were good ones. As much as he wanted deny it, Guy knew that Sarutobi had made the best call that the old man could. Taking a deep breath, Guy said, "Does Naruto know of the burden he carries?" Sarutobi shook his head and Guy figured that Sarutobi would reveal that fact and Naruto's full heritage to the boy when it was best for the boy. Before Guy left the Hokage's office he called out over his shoulder, "I have Lady Kushina sensei's twin kodachi set at my house. They'll be at Naruto's doorsteps by sundown or I'll do ten thousand laps around Konoha on my hands."

* * *

Naruto approached Grandpa Sarutobi's office and wondered why he had been summoned. Iruka had privately whispered into Naruto's ear as Naruto was getting his forehead protector that gramps wanted to see him privately after class was over. Currently Naruto was wearing baggy black pants, his forehead protector, and a black t-shirt that covered by his black with orange patches jacket. At Naruto's sides attached to his belt were Gideon and Joshua; his mother's kodachi that had mysteriously appeared at his apartment a month ago. All Naruto knew about how they had come to him was a note that said that someone had been keeping them safe and that it was time for them to be returned to their rightful owner. Gramps' secretary politely nodded her old head and motioned for Naruto to go on into the Hokage's office.

Sarutobi had a smile on his face as he watched Naruto enter into his office. His unofficial grandson always managed to bring a smile to Sarutobi's face and that was a gift that Sarutobi found quite precious in his old age. This was the first time that Sarutobi was seeing Naruto with his forehead protector proudly marking the young man as one of Konoha's shinobi. At that moment Sarutobi was reminded of a moment years ago when Jiraiya had proudly introduced his own genin team to Sarutobi. That thought pained Sarutobi as he thought about how it was supposed to be Minato here proud at Naruto's accomplishments.

With a wave of his hand Sarutobi motioned for Naruto to sit down in the seat available. Once Naruto was comfortable, Sarutobi started to talk. "I can't tell you how proud your parents would have been to have seen you as you currently are Naruto. Your growth this past year at the Ninja Academy, once certain problem areas were pointed out to you, has been tremendous. In fact, your personal and professional growth has impressed several teachers at the academy who I am told had previously given up on you calling you a 'lost cause'. Coming for such obstinate mules as these people who said this to me is, in my opinion, a bigger title of distinction than the over-hyped title of 'Rookie of the Year'."

Seeing the sparkle in Naruto's eyes when he had told the boy these things brought a good deal of mirth to the old Hokage. In his old age Sarutobi had long ago realize that it was the small things like this that made life worth living. He felt terrible for what he was about to tell Naruto but Sarutobi knew that Naruto needed to know about this fact. Better by far for the boy to learn about this secrete from a friendly person now then latter in a worse situation from someone who might have a grudge against Naruto.

Taking a deep breath Sarutobi felt a sad smile cross his lips and he looked into Naruto's eyes and began to speak. "Naruto, there is something that I need to talk to you about. Sadly this isn't something joyful like telling you about your mother was or tell you who your father was will be. You see Naruto things didn't go exactly like we teach in school with regards to the defeat of the Kyuubi. While it is true that the Yondaime did defeat the Kyuubi; it wasn't as clear-cut a victory as things are portrayed. The Yondaime didn't kill the demon, but rather locked Kyuubi away forever at the cost of the Yondaime's soul. To make sure that the Kyuubi's soul could never escape from the seal he had lock the demon in, the Yondaime was forced to seal the demon into your body shortly after you were born."

"Never think for a moment Naruto that you are the demon you keep locked away. Despite what some ignorant criminals might try to claim you are your own person and the son of two people who were very dear to me. It has been my eternal shame that there are a lot of people in Konoha who are hostile towards you solely for what you have been forced to carry. The Yondaime as his final wish had requested that people respect you as the hero who continuously keeps the Kyuubi from harming us. Your generation does not know about the part you have played in their safety because I wanted you to grow up as normal you possibly could."

Naruto sat where he was in silence for a moment as he thought about what he had just been told. For a second Naruto had been shocked and angered that the Yondaime had done this to him. However, Naruto's mental training allowed him to see that the Yondaime had done what was necessary to save the village and that for some reason the Yondaime had picked him to carry the Kyuubi. Letting out a small sigh, Naruto shook his head before he said, "Thank you for telling me this Grandpa Sarutobi. I guess that explains the emergence of my second bloodline."

At this point Sarutobi was completely shocked at what he had just heard Naruto say. Second bloodline, how was such a thing possible! Looking wide-eyed at Naruto, Sarutobi said, "Naruto what are you talking about. People can't have two bloodlines, its impossible. Every attempt in Konoha's medical history of trying to join two bloodlines together has always resulted in a still-born or a child who died after only a few years of agony."

Giving Sarutobi his trade-mark fox grin, Naruto said, "Gramps, all of those attempts that you've mention were doomed the moment they were foolishly concocted. If you look closely you will see that all the clans involved in that mess had bloodlines of the same type." There was a confused look on Sarutobi's face so Naruto continued to explain. "As you know, the Uzumaki Clan has over its history been very deeply connected with bloodline formation. Due to this my ancestors have made many, and I mean many, very meticulous notes on bloodlines and everything that has to do with them. While I have no doubt that the doctors at Konoha's hospital tried very hard help those poor individuals involved, the just don't have the knowledge that the Uzumaki have in that department."

"My ancestors long ago broke bloodlines up into three distinct classifications: body bloodlines, chakra bloodlines, and finally sense bloodlines. Dojutsus like the Ranseigan or the Byakogan are an example of a sense bloodline. Elemental manipulation like the Shodai Hokage's wood release and the Hatake white chakra are both prime examples of chakra bloodlines. Finally you have the believed to be extinct Dead Bone Pulse as an example of a body bloodline. It has been noted that a fertile person can have up to three different bloodlines and live a long healthy life. However, there can only be one bloodline in a person from each separate class that I have mentioned."

Sarutobi just sat there in his chair with his mouth hanging wide open. In two minutes Naruto had completely thrown out over 100 years of medical study and wisdom and the boy was acting like he was talking about the weather. What made the whole situation so painful was the fact that what Naruto's ancestors had figured out was so blaringly obvious. The only reason that Sarutobi could figure that someone hadn't pointed this out already was the fact that the people involved were mostly trying to find a way to create a new bloodline drawing on the power of parents' bloodlines. Inside his mind Sarutobi grumbled that only the Uzumaki could figure out a way to pull off something that the rest of the world had labeled impossible.

Naruto got up from his chair and started walking towards the door to leave. After he passed Sarutobi's desk, Naruto stopped and said, "Just so you know, my second bloodline is a body bloodline. It grants me the ability to rapidly regenerate the cells in my body by pouring chakra into my cells. While I am by no stretch of the imagination immortal, this bloodline of mine does make me extremely harder to kill. I probably developed it in response to the Kyuubi and the seal that was place on me to keep it from escaping. Well I've got to go. Have fun figuring out which teams I and my classmates are going to be on Grandpa Sarutobi!"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclamer: If I owned Naruto, the Sasuke would only appear in the second half thanks to the Resurrection of an Impure World Jutsu. As this is not the case, it is quite obvious that I don't own Naruto.

The next day after being told about the Kyuubi Naruto was in the Hokage tower once again. Naruto had had to go in today in order to get his ninja identification photo taken. Instead of heading strait home after his business with the record department was taken care of, Naruto headed off to the Hokage's offices. Passing by the Hokage's secretary Naruto called out, "Good day, I'm here to bring some documents that I know Grandpa Sarutobi will want to have a good look at." Receiving a casual nod from the secretary, Naruto opened the door and went into Sarutobi's office.

Once the door was closed Naruto called out, "Good day gramps." Sarutobi looked up from his desk and smiled seeing Naruto's cheerful face. Before Sarutobi could ask why Naruto was here the boy said, "During our talk last night I realized how I was unintentionally hurting this village by keeping all of the Uzumaki clan records to myself." Reaching into his coat, Naruto pulled out a stack of papers that were tied together. Placing the stack of papers on Sarutobi's desk Naruto said, "I had several shadow clones stay up all night copying these pages out of several clan books. These papers contain the Uzumaki clan notes on how a person can have multiple bloodlines. Also, there are notes on how to make a type of paper that will allow you to determine which of the three categories a person's bloodline or bloodlines are."

There was a small tear in Sarutobi's eye as he reached over on his desk and picked up the papers that Naruto had put down. It was very rare that a ninja clan, even one as small as the Uzumaki currently were, to ever give a copy of their clan records. Most people thought that the reason why Konoha's libraries contained only E and D ranked jutsus with the uncommon C ranked and very rare B ranked jutsu was do to village security. Actually the truth of the matter was that none of the Clans would give up anything higher then a D ranked jutsu when Konoha was founded. The small supply of C and B ranked jutsus were in the library because of a few generous ninjas like the Shodai who had wanted to help out those without a clan become good ninjas.

Sarutobi had placed the precious documents that Naruto had given him into his desk and was about to thank Naruto when the door opened. Into the room came running Konohamaru with a shuriken in his fist and yelling out, "Today's the day I defeat you and become Hokage!" Sadly for Sarutobi's would be defeater, Konohamaru tripped over his scarf. Quickly picking himself up off of the ground Konohamaru looked around himself. Pointing an accusing finger at Naruto, the little boy called out, "Hey, you tripped me!"

Now the months of meditation and training with Iruka may have calmed Naruto down a great deal, but Naruto sill was impulsive and emotional. Most of the time the whiskered boy was able to keep those tendencies of his under control; however Konohamaru managed to somehow bypass Naruto's self-control. Thus to Sarutobi's shock and surprise, the old Hokage watched as one of his grandsons started to strangle the other one. Naruto did this by holding Konohamaru up in the air by the little boy's scarf. Looking Konohamaru in the eye as he held the boy up in the air, Naruto said, "Get your facts strait moron before you start throwing accusations around."

At that point Konohamaru's private tutor Ebisu came barging into the room looking for Konohamaru. On seeing Konohamaru as he was, Ebisu demanded that Naruto let go of Konohamaru. After Naruto set the boy down, Ebisu started scolding Naruto stating that Naruto was an uncultured ruffian for treating the Hokage's grandson like he was. Naruto replied to Ebisu's remarks by yelling at the man. "Sir, If I'm an uncultured ruffian then you're a useless kiss-up. As Konohamaru's teacher you should be teaching the boy to use his head. Being the relative of a Kage out on the field only means that you're a bigger target for the enemy; teach the brat to stand on his own instead of hiding in his grandfather's shadow." With that said Naruto stormed out of the office complaining about self-important nobodies.

During Naruto and Ebisu's argument, Konohamaru watched on in silent surprise. Konohamaru was completely surprised at how Naruto had reacted to the news that he was the Sandaime's grandson. Everyone that Konohamaru had met outside of his family always treated him with the utmost respect and let him get away with anything he wanted to. It was because of the fact that no one would dare refuse the 'honorable grandson' that Konohamaru had started to pull pranks. He was sick and tired of people just seeing him as the 'honorable grandson' and had been hoping that eventually someone would snap from his pranks and treat him like a regular kid.

To Konohamaru's surprise and joy he had finally found someone in that blond haired whiskered boy who was treating him as his own person. Okay, so being chocked by his scarf while being called a moron in front of his grandfather had been painful and humiliating. As far as Konohamaru was concerned it was a small price to pay for being acknowledged by his own name instead of 'honorable grandson'. Seeing that Ebisu was going on and on about only he could help Konohamaru succeed his grandfather, Konohamru quickly ducked out the door to go look for Naruto.

* * *

Three hours and four escapes from Ebisu after first meeting Naruto in his grandfather's office; Konohamaru was finally able to locate where Naruto had gone to. Currently Konohamaru was looking out onto a meadow where about two dozen Naruto clones were hard at work. A dozen clones were standing up in the trees throwing shuriken at a Naruto on the ground that was busy deflecting the shuriken with two kodachi. The other dozen shadow clones were currently mediating on the undersides of tree branches. Finally there was one Naruto off to the side who was doing sit-ups. Deciding that it would be safest to approach the Naruto doing sit-ups, Konohamaru slowly walked over and said, "A mister, can I talk with you?"

Naruto looked up into the slightly nervous face of Konohamaru and said, "Sure Konohamaru." Getting into a sitting position Naruto yelled out at the Shadow clones in the meadow, "Times up boys. Disperse yourselves one at a time in 5 second intervals; I don't want to deal with a headache like last time!" Konohamaru watched in amazement as the Narutos in the meadow did exactly as the Naruto sitting next to him told them to. Seeing the look of surprise in Konohamaru's eye, Naruto said, "Their shadow clones. My family on my mother's side has a long history of generating a lot more Chakra then other people but at the same time having a lot less control. Someone in the family came up with this jutsu and it allows the user to create an actual physical clone instead of an illusion. Everything that the shadow clones learns I learn when the clones disperse. So what do you want to talk to me about Konohamaru?"

For the next hour Konohamaru and Naruto talked about things in Konohamaru's life and about both of their dreams to become Hokage. Unknown to Konohamaru, but known to Naruto who simply pretended otherwise, Ebisu was standing on a tree branch listening to the conversation. At first Ebisu had wanted to come in and take Konohamaru away from Naruto. However Ebisu had refrained from doing that as he noticed that his charge was practically spilling his heart out in front of Naruto. Ebisu learned more about Konohamaru listening in on that hour long talk then he had in the past six months.

At the end of Konohamaru's talk about himself Naruto, to Ebisu's surprise, said, "I understand where you're coming from Konohamaru. Both of us want to be recognized for who we are and not what the villagers see when they see us. You want to step out of your grandfather's shadow and not be loved by the villagers only because of the fact that you are the Hokage's grandson. On the other side I want to step out of scorn that many villagers have for me." Seeing the surprise and confusion on Konohamaru's face Naruto went on to explain. "You see Konohamaru I was born on the exact day of the Kyuubi's attack on Konoha. Because of that fact and my whisker like birthmarks I seem to constantly remind people of all those that they lost on that day. Trying to cope with the immense pain that they were dealing with, most of the people in the village directed their feelings on the attack towards me."

Konohamaru was completely shocked that such a thing could happen and asked Naruto how he was able to deal with it all. With a smile on his face Naruto said, "I deal with it one day at a time. Luckily most people have been able to cool down over the years since the attack. Also, through it all, I was able to find several people who saw past the villagers' anger and saw me for who I was. Your grandfather who I also consider to be like a grandfather to me, the man at the ramen stand along with his daughter, and finally my old teacher Iruka who I think of like a big brother all helped me deal with the pressure."

Inwardly Ebisu was quiet impressed with Naruto's little speech. The boy had managed to rather skillfully explain his situation to Konohamaru without revealing the secret about the Kyuubi's defeat. Actually, when Ebisu thought about it, Naruto's little cover story was a very solid one and made a note to tell the Lord Hokage about it so that it could be disseminated throughout the ninja ranks. Soon enough after Ebisu had heard that conversation he made up his mind. Turning around Ebisu quietly left the two boys alone. Konohamaru was in good enough hands for now and it seemed like this conversation was doing the little boy a lot of good. It would be best for things in the long run if he not disturb the conversation that was going on behind him.

* * *

One month after the gennin graduations, every boy and girl who had passed the Academy's exam was heading back to the academy. Today was the day that the graduates would be told what teams they were going to be placed in. Naruto walked into his former classroom and sat down in his old seat. The only thing about Naruto's outfit that had changed since he talked to Sarutobi about the Kyuubi a month ago was the fact that Naruto had a pair of dark sunglasses on his face. This slight change in Naruto's wardrobe was because Naruto had decided that the sunglasses would help hide the fact that he had a dojutsu. Thanks to the Ranseigan's remote viewing abilities Naruto could set his viewing point just beyond the sunglasses making it like he wasn't even wearing them.

Slowly as the minutes passed by the rest of the graduates trickled in by ones and twos. There was a proportional increase in the noise level of the classroom as the number of genin in the classroom increased. With the large amount of people moving about and talking Naruto figured that this would be a good time to practice using the Ranseigan. Naruto's control over his dojutsu had improved thanks to a month of daily practice with Iruka. However Naruto was still unused to using the Ranseigan in such a chaotic environment.

Five minutes after the last genin to graduate from Naruto's class walked in the door, Iruka strolled in with a clipboard in his hand and a smile on his face. That smile rapidly degenerated into an eye tick as Iruka stood there at his desk and was completely ignored by most of the genin in front of him. Iruka really loved kids and enjoyed working with them, but these graduates should have had the common decency to stop talking when he first walked into the room. Seeing no noticeable diminishment in the noise level of the classroom, Iruka used his very own Gargantuan Head Jutsu to get the graduates' attention.

Everyone paying close attention to him thanks to the Garantuan Head Jutsu, Iruka smiled and started to talk. "Now that I have everyone's attention, I would like to say a few words. You all may have graduated from this academy and have become ninja but you have not reached your true destination. As you all know, Genin is the lowest level of qualified ninjas in the world. There is a long way for you all to go until you are able to become Chunins and hopefully Jonins. Your Jonin senseis will help you in every way that they can to reach your potential. However this is a two person process, each and every own of you must work with your senseis to bring out the power that rests inside of each and every one of you."

"Look around you at your fellow graduates. School rivalries, petty grudges, young crushes, and class titles that have been with you throughout your schooldays, none of those things mean anything in the real world. Despite what you may or may not think, your all beginners and all equal. These young men and women you see next to you are your fellow shinobi. In the future you can expect to work with them, bond with them, cry with them, bleed with them, and yes possibly even die with them. Our lives as shinobi are dangerous and uncertain. Only through the unity of teamwork and our individual strengths are we able to survive in this world. This academy has done its best to prepare you for this harsh life and I hope to god that none of you precede me into the grave."

The mood in the classroom was a somber one for a few minutes as Iruka's words hung in the air like a mist. Iruka then turned his attention to his clipboard and started calling off teams and team members. For the most part Naruto was only listening with half an ear as the names were called waiting for when his team would be called by Iruka. Things got interesting When Iruka called out team seven which was made up of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, and someone called Sai. No one in the classroom knew who Sai was and so someone asked Iruka who Sai was. With a friendly voice Iruka answered, "One of the councilmen has been privately tutoring several potential ninjas in an attempt, or so I've been told, to 'prove the inadequacies of the ninja academy.' While Sai has passed all of the requirements to be a genin, the lack of data on him has caused the Hokage to pair the boy up with Sakura and Sasuke."

Everyone in the classroom nodded their heads assuming that the Hokage had made this arrangement because of the fact that Sasuke was rookie of the year and Sakura had earned the title of top kunoichi. Personally Naruto didn't care about why Sarutobi had made that call. What was on Naruto's mind was the fact that there were 27 genins in the classroom which would mean that someone wouldn't be named to a team here. Naruto was curious as to what would happen to the one genin whose name wouldn't be called.

As Iruka finished calling out the members of team ten, Naruto silently cursed his luck. It seemed that the fates had decided to allow Naruto to find out the answer to his question by being the odd man out. Naruto, quite annoyed that no one else in the classroom seemed to have noticed the fact that his name wasn't called, said in a friendly voice, "Sensei Iruka, what am I to do since my name wasn't called?" Immediately the whole classroom was filled up with surprised chatter from many shocked genin. Iruka, Naruto, and Shino, all sweat dropped as they watched the gaggling genin. In the back of the three's minds were running one single thought: how could you not have notice this fact?

Managing somehow to resist the impulse to bash his head on the desk, Iruka politely coughed into his fist. Once the genin had managed to quiet themselves down, Iruka proceeded to answer Naruto's question. "According to the principle, who I talked to before I came in here, you're supposed to head up to the roof about an hour before the Jonin senseis arrive. There are two other genin, one from each of the other two graduating classes this year, who also weren't place on a team in their home class that will meet you there. The three of you are going to form a genin team."

* * *

At the appointed time, Naruto headed up to the roof as he was directed. Opening the door in front of him Naruto walked out onto the rooftop just as his two new teammates walked out onto the rooftop as well from two different exits. To Naruto's left was a girl with long obsidian black hair and who was wearing a plain forest green two-piece Chinese dress outfit. On Naruto's right was a boy with brown hair in a tapered cut. The boy was wearing brown cargo pants, a white sleeveless buttoned shirt, and had a sword strapped onto his back. Taking one last quick look at his two new teammates Naruto said, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, would you two please tell me your names?"

The girl to Naruto left said with a pleasant voice, "Rei Higurashi, gennin and one of your new teammates."

With a friendly bug gruff voice the second male on the unnamed team said, "Iori Kusanagi. Hopefully we'll all be able to work together."

The three young ninjas stood where they where for a minute and then slowly started to walk towards each other. Once they were within arm's reach of each other they all stopped walking. Naruto lowered himself to the ground and sat down Indian style. Rei and Iori, seeing nothing wrong with what Naruto was doing, quickly (and in Rei's case elegantly) sat down. Opening his mouth, Naruto said in his usual friendly voice, "I think that we should talk about ourselves a bit."

Noting the look of surprise in Rei's emerald eyes and Iori's black eyes, Naruto quickly said, "What I meant is, that we should get to know each other. Each of us is from a different class so we know nothing about each other. It would help us in our teamwork if we weren't total strangers." Rei's face had a thoughtful look on it for a moment before she gave Naruto a small smile to show her approval. Iori gave a gruff nod to show his support for Naruto's idea.

Thinking about what to tell his new teammates Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. "Alright," Naruto said, "I'll go first since it was my idea. I like reading my clan scrolls that Grandpa Sarutobi saved for me and I dislike close-minded people. My hobbies include practicing my various shinobi skills and hanging out with my old teacher Iruka who I think of like a brother. For the future my goals are to become a Sennin by some point during Grandpa Saurotobi's successor's reign. After that, I hope to be in a position to reach my ultimate goal of becoming Hokage when the Godaime decides to retire."

Rei decided to speak next after Naruto was done talking. "Allow me to go next; I like landscape paintings and the quiet countryside. On the other hand I dislike most of the kunoichi that have been graduating these past few years because of their frivolous and naïve mindset. My hobbies include studying sealing techniques with my grandfather and meditation. I don't have any lofty goals like Naruto but currently I am hoping to become a jonin and I want to help my older brother Katsuhito run my clan when my grandfather dies."

Iroi then said in a friendly, but slightly aggressive voice that reminded Naruto of Kiba, "So this is the part where I tell you two about me eh? Alright then, I like hearing about tales of valor and bravery while I hate cowards and people who give up. For hobbies I would have to say that I like playing shogi and practicing my kenjutsu. My dream is to win back my family sword that Orochimaru stole from my uncle who had decided to remain in Grass Country when my clan moved to Konoha."

For the next hour the three members of the unnamed team slowly got to know each other and talked about their individual abilities. One thing that had quickly come up was the fact that they were more alike then they had at first thought. All of them had purposely held back their abilities in what they showed at the academy. Their reasons varied as to why they had held back, but each of them was happy that they were on a team containing team members all stronger then the 'Rookie of the Year'. Each of them it turned out also was reasonably proficient in a weapon of choice in addition to the standard weapons that the academy trained hopeful ninjas to use. For Naruto it was his twin kodachi, Iori was trained in the use of the strait sword on his back which he claimed was the same balance and weight as his stolen family sword, and finally Rei was trained to use a naginata. When Iori asked Rei where she hid such a large pole arm she simply pointed to a bracelet on her wrist. Since Rei had mentioned that she had studied sealing techniques, Naruto and Iori deduced that Rei's bracelet must have a storage seal on it for her naginata.

Since it was a time to talk of many things, Naruto figured that his teammates should also know about the Ranseigan. Taking off his sunglasses, Naruto opened his eyes and revealed the eight-pointed purple stars on orange backgrounds that were the tell-tale sign of the Ranseigan being active. After giving an account of the capabilities and limitations of the Ranseigan, leaving out the three abilities of the parental Ranseigan because there was no need to give out that information; Naruto sat back and watched his teammates' reactions. Rei gave a polite thank you to Naruto for revealing that fact about him and Iori made the comment that most guys would give their right arm to have half of the abilities that the Ranseigan gave Naruto.

Once she was done shooting a scolding glare at Iori for inappropriate comment, Rei said, "Since you've told us about that I guess I shouldn't hold back. You see the Higurashi family also has a bloodline. The two of you probably haven't heard about the Kigurashi bloodline because most of the Higurashi clan have traditionally gone to become shrine keepers instead of ninjas. My bloodline allows me to use a unique Chakra release known among my family as Reiton. Spirit Release allows me to use jutsu that directly attack a person's chakra reserves and chakra system. The damage done by these attacks can't have the healing process sped up by the use of medical chakra. Also with training my bloodline allows me to greatly strengthen or weaken any seal that I can touch." While Iori made a comment about never making Rei angry at him, Naruto was making a private note to talk to Rei in private later. It wouldn't be a good thing for her to accidentally weaken the Yondaime's seal.

After he was done with his remark about Rei, Iori said, "It seems that the three of us surprisingly have yet another thing in common. The Kunsanagi have a bloodline that gives us a great deal of control over fire. My family doesn't need to use handsigns to perform a fire jutsu and the chakra costs of those jutsus are a great deal less for us then they would be for other ninjas. Unfortunately the Kunsanagi, due to the nature of our bloodline, are utterly incapable of performing water jutsus and actually have a great deal of trouble mastering the water walking chakra exercise. My classmates don't know about my bloodline because I didn't want to deal with comments about having a 'foreign' bloodline."

* * *

In the Hokage office, Sarutobi was looking into his crystal ball on the team bonding happening on the roof of the academy with a big smile. These three young ninjas were whether they realized or not, already laying down the foundations of a great team. Since the final test in order for a genin team to become an official team was one of teamwork; Sarutobi marked down on his notes that they had already passed. What was the point of giving them a test when they had already passed a better one of their own creation? Truly, revealing your strengths to your teammates and then listening as they did the same without any prompting showed that these three were ready for the life of being genin of Konoha.

Looking up from his crystal ball Sarutobi saw Chouza Akimichi walk into his office. Very politely Sarutobi inquired what Chouza thought of his knew Genin team. "Well," began the gentle Jonin, "this is a very interesting team. Usually genins with bloodlines are spread out among various genin teams so that more teams can benefit from the strengths of the various bloodlines. May I inquire Lord Hokage why such a team has been constructed?"

With a friendly smile on his old face Sarutobi said, "Yes this team is highly unusual, but I have good reasons for placing them all together. My first reason is that each of them is a good deal more mature then their classmates how they look at things. Also each of them is sadly an outcast in their respective classes. Rei because of her good looks and realistic outlook on the ninja lifestyle was practically ostracized among the girls of her class while the boys of the class were after her for her looks only. Iori was teased by his fellow students because of the fact that his parents moved here only a year before he was born and the fact that his family has had their clan sword stolen from them just before he was born. As for Naruto, the causes for his sad state of isolation are known to both of us."

"Despite these obstacles thrown against them, each of these youths has managed to reach where they are now without becoming jaded or hostile towards their fellow classmates. Part of the reason I think that these three were able to handle these pressures were the fact that they each had people that they could turn to for help. Another thing that these three have done to help themselves cope with the pressure they were under was to fake their actual abilities. Pretending to only be average while were among the top 5 of their class and getting away with it must have amused the three of them to no end. And they were good at getting away with this; only their own teachers and the principle of the academy knew or figured out the charade these three were playing."

"Sadly all of these facts make it that there would be a great deal of friction if they were place with a team made up only of their own classmates. I am sure that these three, who are used to hiding their abilities from their classmates, would have trouble opening up about their real abilities to the people they have been hiding from. On the other hand, their classmates would most likely become bitter towards them once these three decided to stop hiding behind their masks. Such a situation, as I know you can see, would only cause a complete breakdown of team unity. Only away from their fellow classmates will these three have a chance to drop their masks and flourish like they are meant to."

"While I was waiting for you come over here Chouza, I was observing your new team. There is no need to test them on teamwork as they have already proven to me that they already have the basic foundation of teamwork required to pass. If you are curious, they've proven themselves to me by opening up about themselves to each other. They are by no means the tight friends that you and the rest of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio were at the start of your genin days. But then again that is to be expected as they have just met while you and your genin teammates had known each other for years at that point."

Chouza nodded his head fully understanding Sarutobi's motives for this move and was personally very touched that the Hokage would entrust a team with such potential it him. When he had signed up to be a Jonin sensei Chouza had been expecting to receive only an average team. It wasn't that he was a weak Jonin; on the contrary he was one of top level Jonins. Rather, Chouza's mediocre expectations were because of the fact that his deeds were tide up mostly with the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. While the trio's deeds were quite well known, it wasn't the awe-inspiring performance of the Sannin. Also wasn't the individual fame that the Sannin had managed to accumulate even as that team had worked together. With a happy grin on his face Chouza said, "Don't worry Lord Hokage I will make sure that these three become the best that they can be."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Anyone trying to accuse me of owning Naruto shall be handed over to Orochimaru who shall then use the moron in his Summoning Jutsu: Resurrection to an Impure World.

Rei Higurashi was currently walking home from the Ninja academy with her thoughts constantly going back to her first team meeting. One thing that Rei was very pleased about was the fact that her teammates didn't seem to be the hormonal idiots that she had had to deal with for the past two years. When Rei had first reported to her old classroom for her team placement Rei had resigned herself to having to put up with the antics of two of her admirers. Hearing that she would be place on a team composed of genin from other classes had filled her with a good deal of hope. Since the various classes in the academy tended to be isolated from each other there was almost no chance of her two teammates being in her fan club. So it had been with hope that Rei had gone up the stairs to meet her new teammates.

When she considered her teammates Rei figured that she had lucked out very well considering what she had been expecting. Naruto was rather friendly and seemed to have a sort of cheerful air about him that Rei found refreshing. Iori was gruff and his attitude reminded Rei of a bear; friendly if left alone or shown respect but nasty if angered. To Rei's surprise, she had found that she was able to open up a little bit and be herself with those two boys. Actually, when Rei thought about how Naruto and Iori acted compared to her classmates, it would be easier to describe the two as young men instead of boys. Whatever the case, Rei had found out in that hour talk that the three of them had had that Naruto and Iori were two people that she could trust to have at her back and that was enough for now in that department.

Finding out that Chouza Akimichi was her new sensei had been a bit of a surprise for Rei but yet again it was a pleasant surprise. The Akimichi were one of several clans in Konoha that her grandfather had spoken very highly of to her. Rei knew that this was because the Akimichi were one of the few Clans to regularly come to the shrine that the Higurashi family tended in order to offer offerings of thanks to the kami. Unlike several other clans, the Hyuga and the almost destroyed Uchiha quickly came to Rei's mind, the Akimichi were a very humble in nature clan and were known among the shrine tenders for their habit of offering prayers for those ninjas that had departed without exception even if the ninja was an enemy.

While Rei had a general respect for the Akimichi as a whole, she had been curious as to how Chouza was as in individual. Chouza was rather friendly and had sat down to talk with them all. The man's simple speech to the team showed Rei that Chouza would be a good sensei for them. "Hello you guys and lady, I'm Chouza Akimichi and I will be your sensei from here on out. If you ever have a question on something or need some help I am right here for you. It doesn't matter it the thing you need help on is ninja related or something from your personal lives; I'll be there to help you just the same. Should I not be able to help you for any reason in whatever you need I will do my best to either find out what you need to know or find someone who can help you."

Once Chouza had said his introduction he had gone on to outline what Team Chouza would be doing for the first two weeks. For the first week the team would be doing nothing but drills and training. Chouza had stated very emphatically that jumping into doing missions, even if they were as harmless and boring as D-rank missions were, without any training in working with each other was a big mistake. He had then gone on to say that D-rank missions didn't really teach teambuilding like a lot of Jonin seemed to subscribe to. Most D-rank missions, Chouza told them, were basically chores and that just because you can do a chore together doesn't mean you're able to work together out on the field where it all counts. The second week would still have a lot of drills and team building exercises but Team Chouza would start to do missions.

As Rei approached the gate to the shrine her family lived at she stopped and thought about what had happened at the very end of the team meeting. When Chouza had dismissed the team Rei had found Naruto following her down the halls of the academy. She had immediately turned to face Naruto and demanded to know why he was following her. Afraid that she might have been wrong about him, Rei was ready to summon her naginata for use in the 1000 years of pain jutsu if Naruto was trying to get a date. Rei was surprised that Naruto did not in fact try to get a date from her but had come to talk on an issue that he had felt he should bring to her attention. Naruto then went on to say that there was a seal that had been placed on him a long time ago and he wanted to notify her about it.

Rei, who enjoyed studying seals of all shapes and sizes, had asked if she could see the seal that Naruto was talking about. Surprisingly, Naruto had refused to show her the seal or mention what the seal was for. When Rei had asked Naruto why he had informed her about the seal and yet at the same time was so closed mouth about it Naruto had replied, "I told you about the seal to make sure that you don't ever weaken it." Naruto's voice when he had told her this was extremely serious and his eyes were like cold sentries warning her off. Seeing that, whatever the seal was for, the seal's integrity was of great concern for Naruto Rei quickly vowed that she would never do anything to knowingly weaken the seal. The relief and gratitude that Naruto showed her after she had made that promise worried Rei. What kind of seal and what could it be doing that made Naruto so worried about it ever weakening?

Although Rei would never tell anyone about the conversation she had had with Naruto, Rei had to admit that her curiosity was piqued. Rei knew that this seal of Naruto's was a private matter and that she shouldn't go trying to get the information on it out of Naruto. But Rei also knew that her curiosity, once piqued, made her want to figure out what this seal of Naruto's could be about. Her respect for individual privacy and desire to know what was going on warred within Rei. Eventually Rei found a compromise that she could live with which was her spending her free time looking through the family archives on seals. After all there was a good chance of her either finding records about an instance similar to how Naruto reacted, of which Rei personally doubted, or her finding something else to pique her interest. If in the off chance Rei did find some record that would unravel this mystery for her she could use the information to help Naruto.

* * *

Walking into the back door of the family house/bakery, Iori gave a gruff but friendly hello. Iori then walked into the massive kitchen and quickly grabbed one of the small rolls that his mother always set aside for the family. Although the Kusanagi clan had been reasonably well off back in the Land of Grass, the clan had lost a good deal of its wealth when his parents fled from the Land of Grass. From what Iori had managed to get out of his parents, his great-grandfather had tried to take over the Hidden Village of the Land of Grass. Knowing that the clan could very well be destroyed by that madness Iori's grandfather had instructed Iori's then newly wed parents to flee to another country. His grandfather had called the situation very well because the bulk of the Kusanagi clan had been killed when Grass retaliated against Iori's great-grandfather. The few Kusanagi in Grass who had survived that massacre were killed off less then a year later by Orochimaru who had desired the legendary family sword.

Neither of Iori's parents had been sad when they had received word that the Grass had slaughtered 90 percent of the Kusanagi clan. As his father Kenma had explained to Iori and his twin little brothers, those clansmen who had been killed were egotistical and had come to the false belief that the Kusanagi had the right to rule. All who had believed that the Kusanagi were inherently better then their fellow men had all come to pay the price for their hubris. Their names had been blotted out of the family tree and were by Kenma's decree as head of the clan to never be considered part of the clan again.

On the other hand, Iori's parents had been absolutely devastated when they had received the news that the rest of the family had been killed by Orochimaru. From what Iori had been told, his clansmen in Grass when Orochimaru had attacked were mostly just a few elders along with the little kids that were spared as a reward for the four Kusanagi ninjas who had faithfully stood by Grass during the Kusanagi coup attempt. According the reports sent over by a sad grass emissary Orochimaru had ruthlessly killed everyone from the oldest elder to the little cousin that was apparently only ten days older then Iori was. What had made it even harder on Iori's parents was the fact that half the kills had been done with the Kusanagi family sword itself after Orochimaru claimed the blade.

When Iori had finally gotten his parents to explain it all to him three years ago he had felt his pride in his parents rise immensely. Both of them had managed to deal with blows like that and still managed to smile and keep going. Currently his father was a well respected member of an ANBU squad while his mother had actually given up the life of a kunoichi so that she could raise him and his little brothers. Half of Iori's skills as a ninja had been taught to him by his mother when she had a chance to help teach Iori and his little brothers. One thing though that had always surprised Iori about his parents though was the fact that both of them had vowed never to go after Orochimaru to try and reclaim the family blade. When one of the twins had asked why, Iori's parents had explained that they weren't worthy of carrying the family blade and that only Iori, the twins, and any of their descendents deserved the right to reclaim wield the family sword.

Finishing off the roll that he had been munching on, Iori turned his head towards the large oven that his mother used to bake the various breads and rolls to sell. Looking at the large oven Iori's eyes was drawn as they usually were to the flames at the bottom of the oven. The flames were all connected and seemingly perfectly smooth; like a single solid block of red that was placed at the bottom of the oven. This was the true power of the Kusanagi bloodline, complete mastery and manipulation of fire. Outsiders mostly just seemed to think that the Kusanagi bloodline was simply an extremely strong affinity to fire with minor chakra cost reductions thrown in. Over the years the Kusanagi had had to use this incorrect explanation when relating their bloodline to others outside the clan who wouldn't understand.

This poor description of the family bloodline had always frustrated Iori because people at times seemed confused that the Kusanagi couldn't use water jutsus and had a great deal of trouble water walking exercise. "After all" these ignorant outsiders would said, "having an elemental affinity simply means that it's easier to learn and use a certain type of jutsus. Also," those 'knowledgeable' people would continue on to say, "Water walking is chakra manipulation and not elemental manipulation. It must all be in your heads that you have trouble with these things." Oh how at times Iori had wished he just use Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Projectile on those useless morons and get away with it.

The truth of the matter was that the Kusanagi and fire were _brethren and partners. _At least that's how the Kusanagi had found to best describe their bloodline among themselves. Fire flowed through the veins of every Kusanagi warming them with its powerful embrace. It freely gave itself to protect and serve each member of Kusanagi as was shown in the fact that Iori could use a "B" rank jutsu such as Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Projectile for about the chakra cost that non-Kusanagi needed to use for the "C" rank jutsu Fire Style: Great Fireball Technique. Known 'masters' of fire manipulation spent years and decades training to do what came naturally to the Kusanagi and very rarely did the 'masters' ever equal the control that the Kusanagi possessed over the flame.

This great gift that the Kusanagi had in their bloodline also came with a great price. Water seemed to recognize the Kusanagi as only enemies to be destroyed. Oh the Kusanagi could have a glass of water, bathe, or swim like normal people. However the instant a Kusanagi extended his chakra away from his body water seemed to 'lash' out at the Kusanagi. This was why it was impossible for a Kusanagi to perform water jutsus. As for water walking, Kenma had described walking on water to Iori once as 'trying to walk while in the middle of a great earthquake'. His mother had once told Iori that Kenma had once managed to walk on water for 30 minutes, something that was only average for most Jonin but awe-inspiring to the Kusanagi.

Thinking back on his new team Iori let out a small smile. Neither the blond boy Naruto nor that rather attractive, but not his type of girl, Rei made any smartass remarks that Iori had come to expect when he revealed the 'official' explanation of his bloodline. Instead both of his teammates had calmly accepted his explanation of the Kusanagi bloodline and had proceeded to move on to other topics. That made the two of them okay in Iori's book and he was more then willing to work with them as a genin team. If today's conversation was any indication, Iori was sure that Team Chouza would have a long and successful future.

* * *

Chouza Akimichi was happily walking into the front door of the Akimichi Clan home carrying two fresh hogs on his shoulders. His wife had asked him to stop by the butchers after he was done with his new genin team and as far as Chouza was concerned; what his wife wanted she would get. Passing through the front door and gently closing it with his foot Chouza called out, "Honey I'm Home and I've brought home the Bacon!" Laughing at his little joke Chouza headed into the kitchen where he knew his loving wife would be.

When Chouza walked into the kitchen he was greeted by his sweet and loveable wife who gave him a big kiss on the lips. Mrs. Akimichi then reached over and took the hogs off of Chouzas shoulders and carried them over two the spit in the open fireplace oven. Since Mrs. Akimichi was technically Chouza's sixth cousin she had the same stout physique that the Akimichi were famous for. Standing back and out of the way Chouza watched as his sweet and lovable wife happily prepared the two hogs he had brought home. As she was in process of putting on a layer of flavoring onto the hogs Mrs Akimichi called out, "So Dear, who did you get as your new genin students. What are you planning on giving them as their 'true' genin test?"

With a big smile on his face, Chouza crossed his arms over his chest and said in his jovial voice, "I've got a great team Honey. It's kind of different from most teams you or I've run across because their all from different classes in their year. Their rather interesting because their all actually a lot stronger then they showed in the academy. In fact the Lord Hokage seemed rather proud of how strong they all are and how well they managed to hide it during their academy days. At least, he looked very proud of this fact when he mentioned it to me. To make things even more unique the Lord Hokage told me that giving these kids the second genin test wasn't needed. They had already shown their ability to work together in satisfactory levels by getting to know each other and to start talking about their abilities as ninjas."

Mrs. Akimichi was carefully listening to her husband as he talked about his team. She could hear the pride in Chouza's voice as he talked about his team and she had to admit that his team sounded like it would be a great one. When she heard who was on Team Chouza, Mrs. Akimichi brought her head out of the fireplace and said, "Didn't I tell you that there was something special about that Uzumaki boy? You better make sure that he does well in his studies under you; that poor boy doesn't get the respect that he deserves for what his been doing for this village. As for the other two, I've talked to Iori's parents and Rei grandfather. It's really such a shame how all three of those kids were treated in the academy. I'm just glad that our Choji never joined in on the teasing that his classmates seemed enjoy doing so much."

Nodding his head Chouza agreed with everything that his wife said. Chouza, like all Akimichi, never liked judgmental people who teased or shunned other people. This trait came from the fact that the Akimichi tended to get teased a lot as children due to their build. The fact that all three of his new students had been teased and made into virtual outcasts had really burned Chouza. Once he knew that little fact Chouza had become even more determined to help out his new students and show them acceptance and respect.

Chouza and his wife turned their heads towards the door when the heard their son Choji start to walk in the door. Choji came walking into the kitchen with his head hung low prompting Chouza to ask, "What's the matter Choji?" Looking up at his father, Choji went on to talk about how there was _another _test that his sensei Asuma was going to give Team 10 tomorrow. Continuing on Choji stated how Asuma had stated that if they failed the test then everyone in the team would have to go back to the academy for another year. Finally Choji had mentioned that this one kid in the classroom, Naruto, was having to team up with complete strangers and Choji was worried that Naruto wouldn't be able to pass whatever test the boy's sensei gave him. Throughout the boy's entire conversation Choji had his head hung low in a slight depression.

Putting a meaty hand on Choji's slumped shoulders, Chouza said in a jovial voice, "Don't worry Choji. I have every bit of confidence that you'll pass this test. Just remember Choji that the key to the Ino-Shika-Cho combo team is the very same key that you need to get past this test. Also, I'm very proud of you Choji for your concern in regards to your fellow classmate. That shows strength of character which is something fair more important then strength of body. However you don't need to worry about Naruto, he's on my new genin team." A few minutes latter Mrs. Akimichi stated that dinner was ready and had Chouza and Choji carry dinner over to the dinner table for her.

* * *

Promptly at eight o'clock every member of Team Chouza showed up at the training field that Chouza had stated would be the team's training field. For the first two hours after the team had gathered, Chouza had had Rei, Naruto, and Iori doing various warm up physical exercises. It was just some basic stuff like sit-ups, push-ups, crunches, stretches, and running many laps around the training field. The three genin on the team figured that this part of the training was mostly to help them improve their physical strengths and probably also allowed Chouza to gauge how fit each of them was. Because of this and the fact that Chouza was right there doing the exercises with them no one complained about doing 'simple' training.

After the two hours of exercises Chouza had everyone start to practice their taijutsu. Iori and Naruto had been ready to start sparing with each other when Chouza stopped them. Seeing the confused looks on Iori and Naruto's eyes Chouza explained that for the first week Team Chouza was just going to practice their taijutsu forms. Chouza went on to explain that this way each member of the team could practice their taijutsu and at the same time observe their teammates. This way, Chouza stated, each member of the team could start to learn what to expect from their teammates and they could each better challenge each other when they did start to spar. Once the hour of taijutsu practice was over Chouza basically had the team repeat it but doing kenjutsu this time.

There was an hour long lunch break after the kenjutsu practice was over and Chouza had brought a picnic lunch for the team that Mrs. Akimichi had been kind enough to make. Sitting down in the training field munching on chips, sandwiches, and chips with two large bottles of soda to drink everyone was able to relax and get to know each other better. During the picnic lunch Chouza told his students various tales from his own genin days. The tales were enjoyable and quite humorous to Rei, Naruto, and Iori. However they all saw that each of the tales had the moral that teamwork was essential for a ninja team to succeed.

Once Team Chouza had finished their lunch, Chouza had each of his students demonstrate and then practice their ninjutsu jutsus. The three genin had every E rank and most of the D ranked ninjutsus that Konoha had at its disposal down fully under their control. While their base ninjutsu skills were mostly equal, the three of them had branched out very differently after that point. Iori had concentrated solely on Fire jutsus and wielded them with great control. Chouza was only mildly impressed when he saw Iori whip out a Fire Style: Fire Dragon Flame Projectile as his strongest attack. Other Jonin might try and label Iori as a prodigy for being able to perform such an attack but Chouza had made the acquaintance of Kenma a while ago. Thus Chouza knew that Iori was, in Kenma's own words, 'good but not exceptional' in his use of fire jutsus.

Naruto's jutsu list both surprised and intrigued Chouza. Most of the jutsus that Naruto knew that were above D rank were defensive jutsus like Earth Style: Mud Overturn. From what Chouza could see Naruto's jutsus were centered on the premise of using ninjutsu so that the enemy could be set up to be taken out with a taijutsu or kenjutsu strike. Considering the rather limited information that Chouza had on the Ranseigan, Chouza figured that Naruto's style made a lot of sense. Thinking about the ease that Naruto had with the Shadow Clone jutsu, and the fact that the Uzumaki family had brought it to Konoha, Chouza made the decision to ask the Hokage later if a copy of the Shadow Clone Shuriken Jutsu could be given to the cheerful blond.

Rei's ninjutsu style was careful and efficient Chouza mused. Although Rei had very large chakra reserves for a kunoichi her age, she still only had about 70 percent of the reserves that Iori had. As for comparing her reserves to Naruto, that just wouldn't be fair; Chouza didn't know many Jonin who had reserves that could compete with the boy. Thus to make up for this 'deficiency' that Rei had compared to her teammates she had developed superb chakra control. For attacks Rei had two ninjutsus that she liked to use. The first was Spirit Release: Hand of Harmony. This attack involved Rei shooting out a chakra string from each of her fingers and thumb on one hand. The chakra strings would attach to an opponent's tenketsu at which point Rei could proceed to use her chakra to destroy an opponent's chakra system. Sure a person would eventually regrow their chakra system, but it would a painful experience. Rei's second favorite attack was Spirit Release: Penitence Palm. That technique was a quick jab with one of Rei's hands covered in Spirit Chakra. She used that technique to attack a person's chakra reserves. According to Rei herself the attack could only be stopped if someone stopped the blow or was able to overwhelm the attack with a massive amount of chakra.

* * *

After three strait hours of ninjutsu practice Rei, Iori, and even Naruto to an extent were exhausted. Lying down on the training field, the three of them were all hoping that Chouza would let them go home and rest. Sure Chouza had been a wonderful sensei so far and all the points he had brought up were very good ones, but they had been training for 7 hours today. Walking up to his genin students Chouza said in his usual voice, "Good job you gentlemen and lady. So far today you've proven that you deserve every bit of praise that the Lord Hokage said to me yesterday. Before I let you go today there is one more thing that needs to be done."

Rei, Naruto, and Iori immediately sat up and were paying a great deal of attention to Chouza. After all, it wasn't every day that you here that the Hokage himself was giving out praise for you to your instructor. Besides Chouza had said that after they did whatever it was he had planed they would be free to go. To their surprise and confusion Chouza brought out a large mat and set in on the ground. Next Chouza broght out a large stereo and placed it off to the side. Finnally Chouza turned to his confused students and said, "For the next hour we shall start on your dance lesions." In complete unison Rei, Naruto, and Iori let out a loud 'WHAT' that was heard throughout Konoha.

With a slightly stern face Chouza said, "You three may not see it right now, but dancing will be a big help to you three. The various complex dance routines will help you three get used to working with each other and moving as one. Once you three get good enough at this you will start incorporating the use of some of your weaker jutsus to help you get your time and to further refine your teamwork. Besides these benefits to your teamwork, dancing will give you several skills that will help in a multitude of ways. For instance, should you three be called to do an infiltration mission you three could pose as a troupe of dancers. Such a disguise is useful as entertainers often are in places where they can observe defenses or who the enemy is in contact with."

It was obvious to Chouza that, although they were accepting his reasons for this move, that Rei, Naruto, and Iori didn't want to start on their dance lessons. Personally Chouza didn't blame them because he and the rest of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had been utterly confused when their sensei had brought this same thing up. Remembering the trick that his own Jonin sensei had used at first to get the dance lessons going before Chouza and his teammates had come to accept the benefits of their dance lesion, Chouza decided to use it on his own genin students. Pulling out a microphone from behind his back Chouza said, "Here's the deal. You three shall dance or I shall sing. Trust me you don't want to hear me sing; in fact I've been banned from ever performing at a karaoke bar."

Chouza had to hold back a chuckle as Rei, Iori, and Naruto quickly scrambled over to the dancing mat that he had laid out earlier. Once the three of them were on the mat Chouza showed them the dance steeps that they would be working on in this session. The dance itself was a relatively simple one but it did require the three of them to get their timing right or they would smack into each other. After the three genin had had a chance to look at the dance steeps Chouza took the diagram away and hit the play button on the stereo.

For the next two hours Chouza had to watch as his three students proceeded to butcher the dance that he had given them. It was painful and hilarious at the same time to Chouza to watch the three try and dance. Painful because Chouza had become an expert on dances and the expert in him was writhing in agony over the three's horrible performance. The hilariousness of the situation came from Chouza remembering back to his first day of training when he and the rest of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio had proceeded to demolish the dance mat. Once the two hours were up Chouza told his students that they had made noticeable improvements, which the really had, and told them that Team Chouza would be following this training pattern for the whole week and any day that they didn't take a mission.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: this is fanfiction that means that I don't own Naruto. By this point you should know that by heart.

Team Chouza was currently walking into missions office of the Hokage tower. It had been almost a month since Chouza had started letting the team go on missions and he was quite impressed with his three students. Their teamwork had improved tremendously along with them improving on their individual skills. All of them sill had a lot to learn and the three of them knew. Personally Chouza estimated that each of his team members could go against an average chunin having better then even odds of wining. From what Chouza and seen and heard around Konoha; Rei, Iori, and Naruto had the best teamwork of their entire year. This little piece of news gave Chouza a smug grin as he had heard many Jonin complaining about their team's lack of teamwork compared to what those jonin had been expecting at this point in their training.

Focusing back to the matter at hand, Chouza turned to the Chunin sitting down at the desk and said, "Team Chouza reporting for mission assignment. As Jonin sensei of Team Chouza I am officially requesting a C rank mission for my team." Iori, Rei, and Naruto all raised an eyebrow when they heard Chouza make the request. While they might have been immensely displeased at having to do the D ranked missions, none of them had suspected that Chouza would actually request a C rank mission yet. Naruto had actually invited Rei and Iori over to his house for dinner a while back and the three of them talked about the missions. Considering what they had been told of the pecking order for missions they figured that they shouldn't even bother to ask Chouza for a C rank mission for at least another month or two. They figured that they could handle a C rank but that they wouldn't have a chance for one until the time they had agreed upon.

Looking up at Chouza the chunin behind the desk said in a typical bureaucratic paper pusher voice, "Hold on a moment. You're the first Genin team from this year's batch to make an official request for a C rank mission." Team Chouza then watched as the chunin behind the desk ducked under the desk and from the sounds of things was rummaging about looking from something. Putting a vanilla folder on the table the chunin said, "So sorry about this, but regulations to require me to check your team portfolio before I can hand you the mission. This is due to the fact that your team has been together for less then six weeks. It's an insurance thing really; makes sure that Jonin senseis can't bring unready genin out into the field for whatever the reason." Flipping open the folder in front of him the chunin at the desk started looking at the contents of the folder and making quiet affirmative sounds.

Closing the folder and putting it away the chunin said, "Everything seems to check out so it looks like I can give you a C rank mission." Picking up a clipboard the unknown Chunin said, "Alright then, here is a mission for you Team Chouza. I've got one of the major partners in a medium size trading company out in the customer's lounge. Apparently this man has a son in Hozen, a medium size town about 2 miles from the Tea Country/Fire Country border on the Fire Country side, who's getting married in three weeks. Your would-be employer wants to have a simple family heirloom delivered to his son in time for the wedding. Full details on this mission are available should you choose to accept the mission. What is your decision Team Chouza?"

Chouza looked over towards his students in order to see what they thought of the mission before he made the call whether to accept it or not. Rei had a reserved smile on her face along with a gleam in her eye that showed that she wanted to take the mission. Naruto's face was practically a lighthouse with the smile that he was giving off. As for Iori, that boy had a smug grin on his face and a look in his eyes that said get the mission or else. It was pretty obvious to Chouza that there would be no complaints from his team about taking this mission. With a slight nod of his head Chouza said, "As leader of Team Chouza I accept this mission for my team."

The chunin behind the desk nodded his head and handed Chouza a small piece of paper. Once the piece of paper was in Chouza's hands, the chunin directed the team to head down to the customer's lounge and that their employer's name was on the paper. Less then five minutes latter Team Chouza was at the customer's lounge. There were several different people sitting in the lounge and all of them turned their heads to look at Team Chouza. With a clear but not too loud voice Chouza called out, "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen but would Owaka Tsuji please come forward. We are the ninja team that has been assigned your mission request."

From one of the further back seats a slightly chubby man with graying hair and a short grey goatee came forward. The man's clothes were refined, but not extravagant showing that he was a man of some wealth who was rather modest about it. Bowing with his hands clasped together the man said, "I am Owaka Tsuji and it is a pleasure to do business with you." Taking a quick glance at Rei, Naruto, and Iori, Owaka raised an eyebrow and said, "You would take ones as young as these to do this mission? I know that this is only a simple delivery mission, but considering the distance that must be travel; will these younglings be able to handle the danger? Neither I nor my son would want the deaths young ones such as these to be on our conscience because of an unlikely attack by bandits."

Glancing down at his side Chouza looked to see how his students were reacting. Rei was handling Owaka's comments the best and just had a blank look on her face. Naruto just had a slight frown and a slightly annoyed look on his face. Iori was showing the most visible annoyance at Owaka's comments and seemed to be ready to hit something. What made the situation so hilarious was the fact that they were standing in a row of Rei, Naruto, and then finally Iori. After capturing that image in his mind Chouza said, "Do not worry Mr. Tsuji about my students. Every single genin that is on a Konoha ninja team has been trained to be able to defeat several bandits by themselves. When their in a team, there is almost nothing short of another ninja that can stop a well trained group of genin."

Owaka bowed his head and said in a humble voice, "My apologies young ones. I did not mean to disrespect you three with my earlier comments. It was only out of concern for you three that I questioned the choice of you as the ninja that are in my employment for this task." All three genin relaxed when they heard Owaka's apology and the reason for his remarks. Naruto made a small remark about how a person shouldn't judge others by their age causing Owaka to smile. With that smile still on his face Owaka said, "Very true young one. Now the family heirloom that I want delivered to my son is this pendent," at this Owaka took off a small bronze pendent that was hanging around his neck.

Rei slowly walked over and gently grabbed the pendent with her hand. Bringing the pendent closer to her Rei could see that the pendent was octagonal in shape and had the kanji for 'rabbit' inscribed on it in pewter. Putting the pendent in her hip pocked Rei turned to pay attention to what Owaka was saying. "Now then, my son Soun is currently staying in Hozen like I said in the mission form. When you get to Hozen the best place to look for my son is at the Twelve Signs Spice and Tea office building and warehouse facility. He is currently the main overseer for that office. As I have said my son's wedding is in three weeks and I want that heirloom given to my son before or at the very latest at his wedding. I would personally go to see his wedding myself, but my wife has become very ill lately and I can't in good conscience leave her unattended for so long as it would take me."

Naruto stepped forward and said, "Don't you worry Mr. Tsuji. We will have this heirloom delivered to your son by the time you specified. That's a promise Mr. Tsuji and I, along with my teammates, don't break promises. And if by chance my word alone isn't good enough for you remember this; it would look really bad on our records if we failed this mission." This last comment of Naruto's combined with his friendly smile caused Owaka to burst out into a hearty laugh. It wasn't often in his business dealings with people in general and ninjas in particular that Owaka met friendly, competent, people that he could respect. Naruto, whither he knew it or not, had made it to the list in Owaka's mind.

* * *

About an hour before sunset, Team Chouza approached a small clearing off some ways from the main road. Chouza took a quick look around the meadow and said, "Alright team. This is where we're camping for tonight. I want each of you three to do your jobs just like we trained and I'll take care of my tent by myself." Instantly Naruto and his teammates jumped to take care of the task that they were assigned. While other jonin would have preferred to make the trip from Konoha to Hozen in 3 days and to stop at a convenient town at each night, Chouza was taking a different approach. The way Chouza figured it; this was the perfect time for his students to train in putting up a camp in the field while being reasonably safe.

Watching their swift and methodical actions Chouza couldn't be more proud of them. Naruto was quickly and almost silently putting up the team's tents. Iori was setting up a small campfire and was also camouflaging the tents after Naruto put one up. Finally Rei was carefully setting up traps around the edge of meadow that they were camping in. Seeing the three of them work on their assigned tasks, Chouza just sat back and waited for them to finish their tasks.

Once the camp was set up; Iori, who had been assigned as the cook, started to make a stew. Everyone on the team was sitting back around the fire and softly chatting with one another as the stew slowly cooked. Mostly the conversation was about things that each one of them had read in a book or the newspaper before they had shown up at the start of the day. Occasionally the conversation turned to suggestions that they all could do to help improve their training once the mission was completed. Once the stew was done about in hour into the conversation everyone handed a bowel over to Iori who promptly filled it with stew. Because the stew was somewhere between instant Mac & Cheese and MRE's in flavor, no one was talking much as they ate.

As the most of the stars started to come out, Chouza put his empty bowel down and said, "Alright team, hears the plan. We're going to go in three hour shifts starting right now. It's currently eight o'clock and Naruto has first watch. At 11 o'clock Naruto is to turn the watch over to Rei. Rei will then hand the watch over to Iori at 2 and I'll finish up the last watch starting at 5. I'll get you all up at 8 o'clock and we will be ready to leave once again promptly at 9. Is that understood everyone?" All of Chouza's students immediately nodded their heads to show that they understood what Chouza was saying. Everyone but Naruto then started to walk off to their tents so they could get ready to sleep.

Still sitting down on his log from before, Naruto activated the Ranseigan and started to use it to help his keep watch. Naruto did this by constantly keeping his 'point of view' in a circular motion around the camp looking outwards. Usually it wouldn't be advised for a person with a dojutsu to use their dojutsu while they were keeping watch. This is because of the fact that a dojutsu has a small constant drain on a person's chakra reserves. However due to the fact that the Uzumaki had such large chakra reserves, Naruto didn't have to really worry about the drain. Besides, Naruto figured that this would be a great time to continue to train the Ranseigan.

* * *

Naruto was paying so much attention to observing the surroundings of his camp that he didn't notice Rei coming up next to him. Rei noticed as she approached Naruto that he had the Ranseigan active. For a few seconds Rei just stood where she was and looked at Naruto's eyes. She had personally seen both the Sharingan and the Byakugan before and Rei had to admit that she preferred the Ranseigan over them. It wasn't because of the powers that each dojutsu had that had caused Rei to favor the Ranseigan; it was the feel that the eyes gave off. The Byakugan seemed to give off a feeling of coldness whenever Rei saw those white eyes. As for the Sharingan, back before the Uchiha clan had been killed off, Rei could only remember those eyes as ones that radiated a sense of danger.

Unlike the coldness of the Byakugan or the whispers of danger that the Sharingan had, the Ranseigan seemed to emit an aura that could best be described as protective and nurturing. That feeling that she felt whenever Rei looked at Naruto's active Ranseigan was pleasant and something that she enjoyed. Sitting down across from Naruto, Rei spent about half an hour just looking at Naruto's eyes. It wasn't hard for Rei to figure out that Naruto was currently observing things outside of the camp; the blank look in his face as she looked at him was more then enough of a clue for her. Shaking her head, Rei mentality scolded herself for letting herself be distracted.

She had come out here early so that she could talk to Naruto and here she was just wasting time. Taking a slight breath, Rei said in her soft reserved voice, "Naruto? Can we talk for a moment?"

For a second it looked like Naruto hadn't heard Rei and then he shook his head and closed his eyes. Opening his eyes again Naruto looked at Rei with his regular blue eyes. "Sorry for losing track of time Rei, is it 11 o'clock already?" Naruto said in his usual friendly voice although it was sprinkled with a bit of embarrassment. Inside his head Naruto was scolding himself for not paying attention to his immediate surroundings while he was using the remote viewing abilities of the Ranseigan.

A small smile came on Rei's face as she looked at Naruto and his rather sheepish looking face. "No Naruto," Rei began to say, "It's not 11 o'clock right now. I came out here early because I wanted to talk to you." Naruto tilted his head wanting to know what Rei wanted to talk to him about that she apparently didn't want to talk about at dinner. Rei took a deep breath and, while looking strait into Naruto's eyes, said in a calm and serious tone, "Your seal; the one that you mentioned to me. Its keeping a demon lock away inside of you isn't it. That's why your so secretive about the seal and why your so worried about it being accidentally weakened. Considering your age and the recent history involving demons and Konoha, you have the Kyuubi sealed within you right?"

As soon as the words had left her mouth Rei knew that she had been correct in her hypothesis. Naruto's usually friendly attitude and posture had completely disappeared as soon as those words had left her mouth. Instead, Naruto was currently stiff as a board and seemed extremely nervous and afraid. Mentally Rei was kicking herself for being so direct and upsetting Naruto. The Higurashi family archives did after all state that Jinchuuriki, both those of the nine major demons and those of lesser demons, tended to be notoriously skittish and secretive about their status. Not that Rei could really blame them as she had read about what a lot of Jinchuuriki were treated like by ignorant people.

Putting on a small smile to show that she didn't hate Naruto for being a Jinchuuriki, Rei said softly in a concerned voice. "It doesn't bother me Naruto that you have a demon sealed within you. This may be hard for you to accept given what your life has probably been like because of this fact but I'm not afraid of it. Listen to my voice Naruto and listen well, I am not disgusted by that fact about you and I am also not in the least bit upset that you tried to keep this fact hidden. As your teammate and as your friend I'm with you and I am here for you whenever you need a friend."

Naruto turned to look at Rei and was completely confused at what she was saying. This was something that Naruto had never expected to deal with. Although several older people, particularly Sarutobi, Iruka, and recently Chouza, had shown Naruto that they accepted the fact he was kept the Kyuubi locked away and wasn't the Kyuubi itself; Naruto hadn't expected to find acceptance of this fact among his pers. While younger generations like Konohamaru's might come to accept him and the fact that he was a Jinchuuriki, Naruto had pretty much lump his own generation in with the adults. Besides, Naruto figured that most of those his age who would be able to accept the fact that he was a Jinchuuriki wouldn't want to speak to him again because of the fact that he had hid that aspect of himself.

Looking into Rei's emerald eyes Naruto didn't see a trace of disgust or anger. Instead all Naruto saw was concern and even a hint of caring in Rei's eyes. This fact made no sense to Naruto and he just couldn't wrap his mind around the concept that a person could so easily accept that fact about him. Naruto was completely baffled as he had honestly expected that Rei, or anyone else his age for that matter, to either want nothing to with him or to not want to speak with him for a long time after finding out about his secret. With a clueless look on his face Naruto said, "Why? Why aren't you upset or scared?"

Rei folded her hands in her lap and took a deep breath. Letting out that breath Rei said, "Naruto, it's not very well known but the Higurashi family is very old. When I say old I do mean old; the Higurashi family was 'founded' over five hundred years ago. Actually the Higurashi family is older then that but that is the farthest back that we currently have accurate records of. As you can see, my family has records of times long before the birth of the modern ninjas. Mostly the Higurashi family has been shrine keepers which is why we've stayed 'out of sight' and most people don't realize how old the Higurashi family is."

Seeing the look of surprise and shock on Naruto's face when she mentioned the age of the Higurashi family Rei could only smile. The look on Naruto's face told Rei that, at least for the moment, Naruto had forgotten about what had started this conversation. Wanting to keep the conversation moving Rei said, "The Higurashi family has had many encounters with Jinchuuriki over its long history. My family has always held the belief that those people who are Jinchuuriki are to be respected for the burden that they bare. Several of my ancestors developed sealing and other techniques that are designed to help a Jinchuuriki handle and contain the demon that they hold. These techniques are viewed as a private matter in my family which why almost no one has heard about them before. If you want Naruto, I could look through my family's seal library when we get back to Konoha to try and find some of those techniques for you."

Sitting where he was and listening to Rei talk to him about her family gave Naruto a feeling that he wasn't sure how to describe. At best, Naruto could describe his unknown feeling as relief and hope. While Naruto knew intellectually that he wasn't the only Jinchuuriki to have existed; it hadn't been until that moment when Rei talked about trying to help him that Naruto was able to make an emotional attachment to the idea. He really _wasn't _the only person to ever have to deal with this kind of a life. More to the point, there were people out there that respected him and had apparently tried to help other Jinchuuriki like him. A small tear slowly traveled down Naruto's cheek and quietly fell off his chin and into the fire.

Rei noticed the tear and decided that Naruto would need some time by himself. With a polite cough Rei gained Naruto's attention and then she said, "Look Naruto. We have about twenty minutes until the watch change is supposed to start. Why don't you hit the sack and I take over? After all, there's no point in me trying to get some shut eye now and you look like you need time to think about a few things." While Rei had spoken in her usual soft and reserved voice, the look in her eye told Naruto that this was a command and not a suggestion. Nodding his head, Naruto got up and headed for his tent with a cheerful smile on his face after he told Rei goodnight.

* * *

Hozen was a small to medium size town in Fire Country that had been the result of three different country paths joining the main Crescent Peninsula Highway in the same location. Not that Hozen was by any means unimportant; it was, after all, the first stop that anyone from Tea Country could find a place to rest after leaving Tea Country. Life in this small town focused almost entirely on the market where merchants from Both Tea and Fire Country would meet and sell their wares to each other. Also in the market was a rather large selection of farmers from the neighboring areas who had come to sell their produce for goods that they couldn't get in their little farm villages.

Team Chouza had arrived in Hozen during the 'off' day of the market. When Naruto had asked a local citizen why the market was completely empty he was told that the market, except for a few grocery stores, was only open every other day. Although Naruto was confused about why that was so, he figured that it would make it easier for him and his team to locate Soun Tsuji. Turning to the same citizen that he had talked to earlier Naruto asked where the Twelve Signs Spice and Tea office building was located at. Naruto's inquiry was quickly answered by a friendly smile and some quick directions. Turning to his team, Naruto relayed the information that he had been given.

As the team was heading off towards the indicated location Chouza took the time to go over how Naruto had gotten the information. While what Naruto had done was fine for a simple mission like this in the location that they were in; there were certain things that three of them needed to be aware of when gathering information among civilians in foreign countries. All three of Chouza's students were listening to him in rapt attention as he explained his points clearly and simply. Body stance, word choices, or even the gaze of a person's eye Chouza went on could show the difference between a regular civilian looking for help and an enemy ninja trying to gain information.

Chouza stopped his impromptu lecture when they reached the Twelve Signs Spice and Tea office building. Overall the building was simple in design speaking of function over form. It was neatly kept and had a fresh coat of paint on it showing that the people who owned the building took pride in its simple appearance. Opening the door in front of them Team Chouza was greeted by a friendly secretary who smiled and politely said, "I'm sorry but this building isn't for customers. If you are looking to buy something from us please go to one of our stalls in the market tomorrow when the market opens."

Iori, who had been given the go ahead to speak for the group earlier by Chouza, gave the secretary a grunt and said, "We're not customers miss and we aren't interested in buying any of your goods. We're ninja from Konoha on a small mission to deliver a personal item from a Mr. Owaka Tsuji to his son Soun Tsuji who we are told works at this office. Could you please just get Mr. Tsuji down from wherever he is so that we can complete our mission?"

The secretary's face frowned as she heard Iori's request. Folding her hands together on her desk the secretary looked down at her hands and said, "I wish I could do that for you sir. Unfortunately Mr. Tsuji has disappeared as of two days ago. The only people that I know who might know where Mr. Tsuji's whereabouts are his fiancée Kasumi and Kasumi's father Mr. Todo." Looking up at Team Chouza the secretary revealed her scared eyes and she quietly said, "Can you please find Mr. Tsuji? Everyone here at the office is worried sick about his disappearance."

Chouza gave the secretary his condolences and then proceeded to direct his team out of the office building. On his way out Chouza heard Iori grumble under his breath, "So much for an easy mission." Although part of him was thinking of scolding the boy for assuming that a mission would be as simple as Iori had apparently thought it was, Chouza didn't. After all, Chouza himself had been thinking the same thing for most of the mission as well and he therefore had no room to berate his own student for doing the same. Turing to face his students, Chouza immediately directed them to start trying and find out where Kasumi or her father might be at so that they could continue their mission.

* * *

It took Team Chouza about half an hour but eventually they were able to find out the address of the Todo household. Going up to the door of the rather small and simple house that they had been directed towards Rei firmly knocked on the door. The door opened up to reveal a brunette with long hair wearing an apron standing on the other side. "Yes?" The young woman who had answered the door started to say, "My name is Kasumi Todo. Is there anything that I can help you for with?"

Rei gave a small elegant smile and said, "Yes Miss Todo there is something that you can help us with. You see we were hired by Mr. Owaka Tsuji, the father of the same Soun Tsuji that I have been told you are going to marry in a month, to deliver something to his son. We've just come over from the place that Mr. Soun Tsuji works at and they've told us that Mr. Tsuji hasn't shown up in two days. The secretary over there directed us over to you in order to help find out where we might find Mr. Tsuji."

A slightly relieved look crossed Kasumi's face before she said, "Please come in. We can talk in the living room over some hot tea." Kasumi then stepped back from the door and let the four Konoha ninjas into her house. During their short walk to the living room Naruto noticed several signs that pointed to the Todo's having more money then their small house would seem to indicate. After her guests had sat down in the living room, Kasumi left briefly to go and get the tea she had promised. Like a pleasant hostess Kasumi asked each of the ninjas what type of tea they wanted and then started to prepare it for them.

Once the tea was set out in front of all of them, Kasumi took a deep breath and started to speak. "I must admit that I am a bit surprised that you four have shown up but I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. Everything has been happening so fast these past two days that I honestly have trouble comprehending it myself." At that moment Kasumi started to cry and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the tears away. Naruto, Chouza, and the rest of the team just sat where they were in surprise and worry as they watched Kasumi cry. After a few minutes of her crying, the tears started to slow down.

Shaking her head Kasumi stopped crying for a second and said, "Sorry about that it's just that these are some troubling times for me. Not many people know it because it happened only yesterday but Soun, my fiancée, w-was kidnapped last night."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Say it with me: "HistorianoftheKais does not own Naruto." See? It's a very simple concept to understand.

All the members of Team Chouza were sitting where they were in puzzlement and shock. Why on earth was Soun Tsuji kidnapped? After all, the man probably wasn't that rich given the fact that the office in town was one of the smaller offices compared to other shipping companies in town. It didn't even make sense to hold the man for ransom from his father as the Twelve Signs Spice and Tea Company altogether wasn't even worth 10,000,000 ryo and Owaka Tsuji was one of twelve major stockholders. Wanting to get more information Rei politely put her tea cup down on the table and said, "Miss Todo was your fiancée in a position of political power in Hozen?" Kasumi just looked at Rei and shook her head. Rei closed her eyes for a second and then said, "Miss Todo can you give us some more information about your fiancée? No offence, but Mr. Tsuji doesn't seem like someone worth kidnapping to a criminal."

Kasumi had a sad smile on her face as she refilled her tea and said, "I am not offended in the least by your questions Ms Ninja-" at that point Iori interrupted Kasumi to give Kasumi the names of Team Chouza and Kasumi corrected herself "-Miss Higurashi. The fact of the matter is I never even dreamed that such a thing as this could happen to my Soun. My fiancé is an upstanding citizen and is well respected by those that know him for his charity work and his honest business practices."

Chouza, having figured that his team would want to go after the kidnappers, wanted to know the circumstances surrounding the kidnapping. If the kidnappers were your run of the mill bandits then Chouza was perfectly willing to let his students proceed with fulfilling their mission. After all in the ninja world one had to learn to deal with unexpected hurtles that would come between a ninja and their mission objective. However, Chouza was not willing to risk his team if the kidnappers turned out to be ninjas and was planning on contacting Konoha immediately if that was the case. With a very serious expression on his face Chouza said, "Miss Todo, any and all information that you might have surrounding your fiancé's kidnapping would be most helpful. I am sure that you've told the police and that this is a trying time for you. But, if I and my team are to help the situation we need to know as much as we can."

Kasumi nodded her head said softly, "I understand Mr. Akimichi." Taking a deep breath to calm her nerves Kasumi brought the memories of that dreadful night. With the memories brought back up Kasumi started to recite what she knew. "It was evening and I was over at Soun's house with him discussing some minor details about our wedding plans that needed to be taken care of at the time. Suddenly there was this violent banging at the front door and Soun told me to hide in the closet. From my hiding spot in the closet I saw through a crack in the door several big men barge into the room. These ruffians then punched Soun a few times before one of them pulled out some chains that they tied Soun up with. After that my fiancé's limp body was dragged out the door and I saw several of the ruffians grab the silverware. I couldn't remember the ruffian's faces but I did notice that three of them had a tattoo of a white skull on black flames that was tattooed on their shoulders. I don't know any more then that I'm sorry."

Chouza nodded his head slightly relieved that it was run of the mill bandits and street trash that had taken Soun Tsuji. At the very least it would less of a headache for him to deal with once this whole mess got sorted out. The bureaucratic forms that were needed to be filled out when ninjas from friendly but rival villages fought due to mission interest conflicts were a pain in the butt. True there were also forms that needed to be filled out if a missing ninja was fought but those were fairly simple to do. Besides Tea Country and this part of Fire Country were unfavorable areas for a missing ninja to go to when looking for safety or work.

With a fatherly smile on his face, Chouza thanked Kasumi for her help and then led his team outside. Once all four of them were outside Chouza said, "As you three have most likely figured out, we're going to go after the kidnappers. I know that you three want to do this and since all of our information points to it just being bandits who have done this I'm going to let you three do the rescue. Just remember that if at any time you gain solid information that there is a ninja among these street scums, regardless of the supposed level that the ninja is supposed to be, you WILL pull back. In such a situation I will make the call as to whether or not we continue to go on alone or if we call in reinforcements. Now, I would like you three to come up with a reasonable plan for us finding out what we need to know about these bandits and if the plan is good enough we'll use it."

Naruto, Rei, and Iori all firmly nodded their heads once. Chouza had done this several times with D-ranked missions that didn't automatically have a crystal clear plan of action to follow. Unlike other Jonin leaders of genin teams Chouza tried to restrict his mission leadership and let his team handle the planning on their own whenever it was practical. This was so that his genin could think more independently then their classmates could think. In fact Chouza had yet to forcefully take over a plan once his three students got going. While their teacher might help point out some short comings in a plan, Naruto, Rei, and Iori tended to be right on the money.

Naruto spoke up and said as the team was standing around, "We need to split up and gain more information. Chouza should go ask the police about that gang symbol and what the police have done so far in finding Soun Tsuji. Rei should go check out what the local shrine keeper has to say as she does have the best connections in that department. I should go to the town archives and use my shadow clones to help locate any news about this group that I can find in a newspaper. Finnally I think Iori should head over to the park and the main square to ask some of the elder folks that tend to flock in those areas. Most people tend to ignore the elders who sit around all day and those people notice a lot more then most people give them credit for."

Rei and Iori both smiled, well Rei smiled and Iori grinned, to show that they approved of Naruto's plan. Knowing that it was a great plan Chouza nodded his head and said, "Alright we follow Naruto's plan. We'll meet in the town square three hours from now and tell what we've found out. Once we've swapped information we will plan our next course of action." The genin trio nodded their heads to show that they understood before they headed off to their assignments.

* * *

When everyone met up after their three hour search they agreed to go to a small resturant to have a late lunch while they compared what they had found out. Naruto, Rei, and Chouza weren't able to find any useful information on the bandits except for the fact that they were called the 'Fiery Death' gang and that the gang had moved into Hozen only recently. Those three were rather down at their lack of success; even Chouza was down as he had expected the police to have a good deal of information on the Fiery Death gang. Everyone noticed that Iori was rather silent and they all turned to see a roguish smirk on Iori's face. Rei narrowed her eyes slightly and said in a sharp but still somehow reserved manner, "Alright Iori, what is it that you haven't told us yet? Since you haven't spoken yet its time for you to tell us what you've found out."

Iori grabbed his soda mug from the table and took a big chug. After that Iori set his mug on the table and started to speak. "I've got what we need," Iori said glad to see that his news was brightening up his teammates' faces. "One of the gang member's lives in his parents' house and talks in his sleep according to his old man. The Fiery Death gang members like to meet at a nightclub on the far side of town that's known as Ichiko's Corner. They don't own the nightclub but they always have several people in the club at all times. It's where the Fiery Death gang likes to do business with potential customers. Also the Fiery Death gang has a warehouse somewhere outside of Hozen that they keep their elicit goods at. We find the warehouse, we find Soun."

Everyone else at the table was nodding their heads showing that they had been paying attention to what Iori had said. Naruto took a bite out of his beef dish, swallowed, and then said pointing his chopsticks at Iori, "great Intel Iori. However, what do we do next? We can't go rescue Soun unless we know where the warehouse is that he's supposed to be kept at. I'm assuming that you've got a plan in your head because you wouldn't mention Ichiko's Corner unless you did have a plan." One of Rei's eyebrows rose a bit as she was slightly surprised that Naruto had caught that little connection before she did.

With his soda mug in his hand, Iori made a gruff sound and then said, "Correct Naruto I do have a plan. This situation practically screams 'infiltration' mission like they described back in the classrooms of the academy. My plan is relatively simple: Naruto and Rei, transformed into young adult versions of themselves, shall pose as a couple and enter the nightclub. Once inside the two of you will id several Fiery Death gang members and keep track of their location. An hour after you to go in I'll enter the club posing as a young adult version of myself. I'll then 'hit on' Rei and she'll pass me the location of easiest gang member to capture. Naruto will soon afterwards arrive and the two of us will 'take it outside'; using that as an excuse to leave the club and go capture the targeted gang member. Rei will at the same time leave the club using the cover that she's pissed with her boyfriend acting like a macho fool again and then Rei will wait outside to cover Naruto and me as we escape with our hostage. Chouza will be the muscle to help bale us out of trouble if the whole operation goes south on us."

Chouza looked around the table to see what Naruto and Rei thought of Iori's plan. Both Naruto and Rei were sporting slight blushes; most likely at the thought of having to pose as a couple. Not that Chouza blamed them for it as Team Chouza was a generalist team with a slight leaning towards tactical situations. Mentally Chouza made a note to start increasing the team's training for infiltration situations once they got back to Konoha. Taking a deep breath Chouza said, "This sounds like a good plan. However if either of you two, Naruto and Rei, are uncomfortable with this plan we can try and think of another one."

Naruto and Rei turned to face each other and looked into each other's eyes for a minute as if trying to ask the other one what they thought. Then the two of them nodded their heads at the same time. While both of them turned to face the rest of the team, it was Rei who spoke, "Naruto and I should be able to pull this off. We'll just need an hour or so to hammer out the details of the plan. You know, how our transformations will look like, the codes that are to be used, any cover story that we might be asked and those sorts of things." One Rei had said what she needed to say the team quietly finished their meal and left the restaurant for a quiet place to hammer out the details of the plan like Rei said they needed to do.

* * *

It was currently 9 o'clock at night and Team Chouza was ready to begin its infiltration mission. Rei was currently transformed into a twenty year old version of herself that she had based off of her mother and her own looks. Since this was a night club they were infiltrating Rei was dressed for the part. Her illusion's outfit consisted of black boots, hip hugging red pants, and a white t-shirt that had gone unbuttoned but was tied in a knot below her bust to preserve modesty. Even though it was just an illusion and she was actually wearing her usual ninja clothes Rei felt exposed and was very embarrassed. If she could have gone with a more modest outfit Rei would have but according to the information that Iori had gotten Ichiko's Corner was a slightly trashy place.

Turning to her right Rei took a good look at Naruto's transformation. Like her, Naruto's transformation looked like he was around twenty years old. Naruto's hair was still in the same style but it was now a shade of dull brown; less noticeable Naruto had claimed. For clothing Naruto had created the illusion that he was wearing a black biker jacket, torn blue-jeans, and a red sweat shirt under the jacket. Also, Naruto's transformed older self had two earrings in his ear that were contented by a small chain and Naruto was still sporting his sunglasses. If it wasn't for his punk look, Naruto would have looked like a male art model in Rei's mind.

Naruto gave Rei a slight smile and said, "Alright Rei, ready to get this show on the road?" Rei gave Naruto a small nod to show that she was ready. Knowing that Rei was out of her element, Naruto wrapped his arm around her and said quietly, "Relax Rei. I know this part of the plan unsettles you but you need to calm down. Just ignore any gazes that the men in there will give you and you'll be fine. Remember that this is just an illusion you're using to complete your mission. Those people may look, but they won't touch; I promise you."

Rei felt herself calming down as she listened to what Naruto had to tell her. His words were able to help Rei get over her disgust at how she looked and reminded her as to what they were doing. Once she was ready, Naruto and Rei set off towards Ichiko's Corner. The bouncer, after giving a good two second glance at Rei's chest, let the duo in without any real hassle. When they entered the club itself Rei and Naruto were immediately assaulted by the smells that permeated the club. All of the cigerate smoke, cheap incense, opium, and body sweat that hung in the air made Rei want to vomit. Luckily for Rei Naruto was there to keep her steady.

On his end Naruto was having a tough time as well dealing with the atmosphere of the club. However unlike Rei, Naruto had a small skill that he had been taught by Iruka for such a situation. Naruto had used his chakra to dull the signals that his nose was sending to his brain. Due to his chakra control Naruto wasn't able to fully use the technique and was sill affected by the smells. Knowing that they wouldn't be able to continue their mission in this condition Naruto looked around for a private area. Noticing several doors that were under a 'private entertainment' sign at the far side of the room, Naruto lead Rei to one of the opened doors and then closed and locked the door after they were inside.

Turning on the single light in the room Naruto saw that the room was completely empty except for a single dirty bed in the center of the room. Disengaging his transformation Naruto turned to look at Rei and said, "Drop the transformation we shouldn't be bothered for a few minutes at least." Rei was curious as to why Naruto told her to do such a thing but she complied none the less. After her transformation was dropped, Naruto gave Rei a small item. Looking into her eyes Naruto said, "It's a nose plug. Put it in your nose to block off your sense of smell and then reactivate your transformation." There was a grateful look in Rei's eyes as she compiled with Naruto's commands. As Rei put the nose plug in her nose and reengaged the transformation she saw that Naruto had done the same things.

Once Naruto and Rei had their transformations back in place they waited in room for ten minutes. After they felt they had been the room for a long enough time so that they didn't look suspicious, Rei and Naruto exited the room leaving the door open. Walking very close to each other the two of them went onto the dance. Silently they were both thanking Chouza for his forced dance lessons. Although Chouza never had them dancing in such an _intimate _way as Naruto and Rei were currently dancing due to the fact that it was how everyone around them was dancing Naruto and Rei still appreciated the lessons. Looking over each other's shoulders Naruto and Rei were able to spot and carefully monitor all of the Fiery Death gang members in the building. By pretending to flirt with each other Naruto and Rei were able to pass the information that they had gathered to each other.

* * *

About an hour after Naruto and Rei had first entered Ichiko's Corner Iori made his way into the nightclub. Rei was rather easy for Iori to spot as she was sitting in one of the booths on the edge of the dance floor. Naruto, who had been paying close attention to the clock, had disappeared so that Iori could talk to Rei without ruining the plan. If anyone in the club had been paying attention to Naruto they would have seen that he was standing in the shadows paying close attention to Rei and Iori. For some strange reason Naruto felt a slight annoyance as he watched the scene unfold between Rei and Iori. Figuring that the annoyance was over how long this part of the mission had been Naruto ignored the feeling and paid close attention to Rei.

Soon enough Naruto saw Rei give the signal that the two of them had arranged to tell him that it was time to commence the next stage of the mission. Putting a scowl on his face Naruto headed over to the table and angrily 'confronted' Iori. After putting on a bit of a show for the people in the club, Naruto and Iori left the club with Rei following behind shortly after them in a huff. The trio headed towards the side exit that contained their target, a lone half-drunk gang member. Since he was closer to the target, Naruto let out a strong punch to the gang member's head. Iori then quickly ran up and grabbed the unconscious gang member while Rei, who was about twenty feet behind the boys, cast a minor genjutsu to hide what Team Chouza was doing.

With the gang member in hand, the trio made a quick exit from the nightclub, dropped their transformations, and quickly made their way over to where Chouza was waiting for them. Chouza let out a small sigh of relief when he saw the trio plus their package coming towards them. Once the whole team was together Chouza said, "Okay lets head back to the hotel. When we get there I'll take care of getting the information out of this scum. I want you three to wait in the second room of the hotel as I don't want you three to have to deal with a full field interrogation just yet." There was a somber expression in Naruto, Iori, and Rei's faces as they nodded their heads. Each one of them was silently thankful that Chouza didn't want them around. It was one thing, they had all heard in the academy, to kill a man; it was an entirely different thing to inflict pain on a fellow human in such a way that their still alive.

* * *

Forty minutes after they had left Ichiko's Corner, Naruto, Rei, and Iori were all sitting in the hotel room that Chouza had led them to. Naruto and Rei were both sitting down on the couch each reading a book. Iori was leaning against the opposite wall from Naruto and Rei drinking a glass of water. From his vantage point Iori could see that Rei had moved slightly closer to Naruto since those two had sat down. Not that Iori could blame Rei as she, despite her slightly cold exterior, was a rather empathic young woman. It was obvious to Iori that Rei was having trouble handling the constant moans of pain that they were all hearing coming from the other room. Not that Iori could blame her as he himself was having some difficulty dealing with the moans himself. The only difference between the two of them Iori mused was that he hadn't shown his discomfort at all so far.

Rei was having trouble blocking out the sounds of Chouza interrogating their captive even as she focused on her book. Thanks to her own disposition and her living at the shrine Rei found it difficult to deal with suffering happening in other people. It wasn't nearly as big of a weakness to Rei as say Tsunade's fear of blood, but it was a noticeable trouble for her. Knowing that as Konoichi she would have to cause people pain and likely even kill a few people, Rei had set about to learn Jutsus that were efficient and quick. Thanks to Rei's private training with training posts that were under genjutsus to look like real people, Rei had been able to train herself to be able to handle the idea of killing some. However the slow steady agony that was coming out the other room was starting to get to her.

At his spot on the couch Naruto was busy reading a book that Iruka had given him when Iruka had heard that Naruto's team had become an official team. The book was called _In the Shade of the Great Tree _and was the published memoir of the Shodai Hokage. Naruto was currently reading a section where the Shodai talked about how he cooped with the mental hardships that being a ninja entailed. Personally Naruto found the Shodai's recollections to be rather comforting; especially with what he was hearing going on. Although he didn't show any outward sign of noticing Rei move slightly closer to him, Naruto was well aware of what his teammate was going through. Not wanting to embarrass Rei, Naruto just let her draw what comfort his prescense seemed to be giving her while making a mental note to buy a copy of_In the Shade of the Great Tree _for Rei when the team got back to Konoha.

Suddenly there was a loud scream that emanated from the other room causing all three genin to jump slightly. After that scream the trio could hear nothing coming from the room. Turning to look at that door with slight uneasiness, they all watched as Chouza walked through the door with an expressionless face. Chouza turned to his students and said, "I want all three of you to get some sleep. Take half a sleeping pill if you need to in order to get some shuteye I'm allowing there use this once. At 1 o'clock we will move on the warehouse and I don't want any of you half asleep at that time."

Naruto, Rei, and Iori just gave a tired "yes" to Chouza before they set about getting ready to sleep. All three of them were exhausted emotionally and physically after the events of the day. Rei was given the couch by Naruto and Iori while both boys grabbed a blanket and pillow to find a spot on the floor. As the trio did this they didn't notice that Chouza was still in the room. There was a sad look in Chouza's eye as he watched his students' get ready for bed. Hopefully the Hokage would let him take those three on a small vacation after this mission was over before they returned to Konoha. Chouza was certain that those three would need a vacation and that they deserved a vacation.

* * *

At 12: 50 Chouza promptly but gently woke his students up and made sure that they were wide awake. As Naruto, Rei, and Iori listened to Chouza explain the layout of the criminal warehouse they were all drinking a heavily caffeinated tea to help them wake up. Once Chouza had finished outlining the plan and the layout of the criminal warehouse he said in a stern voice, "Look I will be honest with you three. I don't expect any of you three to be un-blooded when the sun rises; in fact I'm expecting you three to at least have one kill under your belts when this is all over. The first kill is always the hardest for a person to make and it's easier for a person to handle when the kill is someone evil like a criminal. It's also better for you to deal with now then latter in your lives or on a battlefield where I can't protect you if you freeze up. Now let's go rescue Soun and remember that these criminals are most likely going to get the death sentence for their various and many crimes."

With that said Team Chouza left the hotel room and headed off to the location of the criminal warehouse. Once they left Hozen, Team Chouza soon found that they had to travel through a forest. Although the trees were a good deal smaller than the trees around Konoha, the presence of the trees were comforting to the younger members of the team. Soon enough Team Chouza reached the clearing in the forest that the warehouse was located at. Except for the small wooden watch tower next to it the warehouse looked like your typical warehouse. Also next to the warehouse about a hundred feet away was a small building that Team Chouza assumed to be a barracks of some sort for the gang members at the warehouse. Finally the team noticed the pair of guards by the front door, a single guard on the watch tower, and the final sentry that was walking around the perimeter.

Chouza turned to his students and said, "Alright I want Naruto to take out the guards by the door, Rei has the sentry, and finally Iori has the watch tower. Kill your targets and remember to do it _silently." _Naruto, Rei, and Iori all nodded their heads to show that they understood. Standing at his perch in the tree, Chouza stood and watched as he students went to work. Rei used the tree line to cover her movements and waited until the sentry got close to her new position. Once the sentry was close enough to her, Rei killed the man by thrusting her naginata quickly into the sentry's head killing the man instantly. Turning to look at the pair of guards by the door, Chouza saw them suddenly both get pulled into the ground buried completely and Naruto appearing in their place. 'Trust a personal student of Iruka's to remember the original purpose of that jutsu' Chouza silently mused. Finally Chouza turned to look at the watch tower and saw a small dull red light appear. The light blinked several times in Konoha's battle code and Chouza read Iori's message that he had succeeded in his task.

Moving from his perch down to where Naruto was at Chouza motioned for Rei and Iori to come over. Once all of his students were with him again, Chouza asked, "Are you three okay?" While it was obvious that the three genin were still shocked at what they had just done, they were still ready to continue on with the mission. Giving each of them a small hug Chouza told them all that everything would be over soon. Naruto, Rei, and Iori's faces all relaxed a bit after Chouza gave them that comforting hug and said those soothing words. That said and done, Chouza forced open the warehouse door and lead his team into the warehouse.

The warehouse was poorly lighted and was mostly stacked up with various boxes and crates. To the team's surprise there weren't any guards in the immediate vicinity of the door they had come through. Obviously the Fiery Death leader had thought that the outside guards were enough. Slowly Team Chouza made their way to the center of the warehouse. As they approached the center of the warehouse they all noticed that the lighting improved. Also Team Chouza started to hear the sounds of what sounded like a person punching something. Naruto, Rei, Iori, and even Chouza all stopped dead in their tracks as they heard an angry voice come from behind a very large stack of boxes. "I'm getting tired of these shenanigans Soun. You will tell me where you hid the pendant and you will tell me now Brother."


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Maybe in an alternate universe I own Naruto, but in this universe I don't.

Naruto, Rei, and Iori all froze when they heard Soun's captor refer to Soun as brother. Slowly they all turned as one to look at Chouza who was standing where he was with a stern look on his face. Before Chouza could say anything in battle sign language, Naruto signaled that he was going to use the Ranseigan to see what they were up against. All the rest of Team Chouza just said back and waited for Naruto to tell them what he had seen. His plan was, after all, a very sound plan and besides it wasn't like Naruto could see them disagree while he was throwing his point of view.

Naruto positioned his point of view above where he heard the voice coming from so that he was looking down on the scene. Thanks to his extensive training on throwing his point of view Naruto wasn't at all disconcerted by how he was looking at things. Instantly Naruto noted that there were only four people in the small clearing behind where he body was. Two of the people were your stereotypical goons with the slightly dumb look on their face thrown in for free. Besides dumb and dumber, Naruto could see a man tied up in a chair looking like he had been hit a few times. Finally the last man looked a lot like the person that was tied up and that last person had a slightly maniacal look in his eyes.

After making one final check to see that he didn't miss anyone, Naruto disengaged that part of his bloodline and returned to his original point of view. The rest of the team all got a stormy look in their faces as Naruto passed along what he had seen. Knowing that they didn't have the experience to quickly plan out what they should do, Naruto, Rei, and Iori all turned to Chouza and asked him what they should do. Less then a minute after they asked him what they should do Chouza gave them the battle plan. Naruto and Iori were to move around and kill the two goons. At the same time, Rei was supposed to kill Soun's questioner. Noticing the slight shock in the trio's eyes that they weren't supposed to try and incapacitate, Chouza pointed to one of the many crates behind where he was. Chouza then explained that the drugs that were in those crates all carried the immediate death penalty for trafficking in them.

Naruto, Rei, and Iori all slowly nodded their heads in unison to show that they understood what Chouza was trying to tell them. Sparing these criminals would be pointless because they would just be put to death anyway. Once he had looked into each of his students' eyes to make sure that they were still up to what they had to do Chouza motioned for the plan to start. As they took off Iori headed to the right while Naruto and Rei started to circle around their targets from the left. When Naruto stopped traveling with Rei do to the fact that he had reached his target, he continued to pay attention to Rei. Team Chouza had during their training sessions planed for such an attack like this and the plan stated that the other teammates would wait for the one who had the furthest to travel to give the attack signal.

When Rei got to the closest point to her target while still being in the shadows, she brushed her thumb against her bracelet summoning her naginata into her hand. Rei then glanced and saw that Naruto and Iori were both ready with their blades in their hands. Knowing that both boys' eyes were on her Rei gave the signal to attack before she rushed at her target. Rushing at her target, Rei quickly jabbed her naginata up and into the interrogator's heart. Unlike most naginatas Rei's naginata had been modified slightly so that the end of its curved blade had a small jabbing point. This small point was what allowed Rei to use her naginata like she had just done.

Tied up in his chair, Soun Tsuji couldn't believe what he had just seen. Soun's brother, who had been pulling back his fist to punch Soun again, was suddenly skewered by a blade from behind. Quickly looking to his right and his left Soun saw the big guards that his brother had had watching over him suddenly meet a similar fate. As the bodies of his brother and his brother's goons fell to the ground Soun could see three young teens standing behind the falling bodies. The blonde haired teen to Soun's right looked at Soun and said in a friendly voice, "We're a Konoha ninja team and we're here to help you Soun Tsuji."

Before Soun could reply to the blonde's comment Soun felt his bindings being cut. Turning around slightly Soun saw a very large man step around from behind the chair. This big man then said in a calm voice, "Alright Naruto, Rei, I want you two to get Soun out of here. Iori, Once everyone else has left the building I want you to torch the warehouse. I'm going to go and destroy that barracks we saw earlier. With a bit of luck tonight we'll destroy the Fiery Death gang completely. After this is all over we'll all met back at the Todo household. Miss Todo after all should be one of the first to know that her fiancé is safe."

* * *

In the morning, Kasumi had insisted that Team Chouza say at her place for the night after they brought Soun back, Team Chouza, Soun, and Kasumi were all sitting around getting ready to talk. Soun held the small pendant that Rei had given him when they all got up and he said somberly, "So much trouble for something so small." With a said look in his eye Soun continued on talking. "This pendant has been in my family for four generations. It was given to my great grandfather by a wandering monk as a token of thanks for my great grandfather sharing his dinner with the monk. Ever since then this pendant has been passed down in my family whenever the family heir is about to be wed."

Looking at Team Chouza and in particular the trio Soun gave a small smile. "I'm sure that you are all wondering why I was kidnapped by my brother over this little thing. Don't look bashful I can tell that you three young ones want to know. You all I think deserve to know what went on and I think that talking about it will help me deal with this whole fiasco." Naruto, Rei, and Iori all looked slightly embarrassed that Soun saw their curiosity but they were all glad that he didn't complain. Chouza, who was sipping some tea, was also glad to hear about why this whole mess got started in the first place.

Closing his eyes, Soun was quiet for a moment as if he was collecting his thoughts before he softly spoke. "My elder brother Kaworu was born during the height of the depression that occurred between the Second and Third Great Ninja wars seven years before I was born. Although the Tsuji family fortunes had gotten a lot better by the time I was born, those times of poverty made a big impact on my brother. Kaworu always seemed to desire to make more money; wealth just seemed to be an obsession with my brother. By the time I was in my teens Kaworu apparently lost his morals when it came to making money. I remember coming home one day from school when I was fifteen to find out that my father had thrown Kaworu out of the family. At first I was shocked that my father would do such a thing but then I found out that Kaworu had been making deals with the local criminal groups. For 10 years until this week I did not know the whereabouts of my brother."

Soun paused for a moment to take a sip of his tea before he continued his tale. "I'm sure all of you are wondering in the back of your minds 'what does Kaworu's history have to do with the pendant?' My brother's interest in the rabbit pendant had nothing to do with some mental victory against our father if that is the conclusion that you've drawn in your heads. You see, Kaworu's motivation for capturing me and trying to obtain the pendant was driven by the only thing his craved: money. During my captivity I overheard my guards speak about how Kaworu had gained a manuscript that talked about a great stockpile of gold that was hidden away. From what I can piece together from what I overheard, Kaworu's manuscript apparently said that a wandering monk was given the key to the stockpile and that this key was supposed to be a small item. Kaworu must have assumed that the monk my great grandfather helped and the monk described in the manuscript were the same monk. Therefore Kaworu believed that the rabbit pendant was the key to this stockpile and so he came after me to get the pendant."

Team Chouza could barely keep their shock and disgust for Kaworu's actions from being too noticeable on their faces. For Naruto his disgust originated with Kaworu's obsession; its one thing to have a goal in life and it's another thing to be consumed by the goal. Rei and Chouza, who both came from loving families, had trouble accepting that a person could do such a thing to family. The thing that got Iori the most was the fact that Kaworu was willing to give up his morals to try and achieve his goals. Personally Iori could sympathize with having a great ambition but if sell your soul to get there what is the point of trying?

Soun apparently noticed Team Chouza's disgust and he said, "Please don't hold my brother's actions towards me against him; he wasn't all there in the head. All I feel for my brother's passing is pity that he turned out the way he did. Back when I was a little boy Kaworu was actually a decent brother; before he became too obsessed with money. I can only hope that he turns out better in the next life then he did in this lifetime." The room was silent for the next few minutes before anyone was willing to start talking again. After a few minutes of small talk Team Chouza quietly left the Todo household saying that they needed to head back to Konoha now that the mission was accomplished. Kasumi and Soun were standing by the door and politely waving the team goodbye as Team Chouza left the Todo household.

* * *

As the sun started to sink towards the horizon Team Chouza, who had been traveling at a more relaxed pace at Chouza's insistence, pulled into a small town about 8 km from Otafuku Gai. While the team could push ahead towards Konoha, which was only twenty km away to the northwest, Chouza had stated that they were stopping in this town for the night. When Naruto asked why they weren't pushing ahead Chouza told Naruto that the gate guards are a lot friendlier during the day then in the middle of the night. What Chouza didn't tell his students was that he was trying to let them have a breather space to fully get used to what had happened on the mission.

Currently Team Chouza had split up into three groups. Chouza himself was busy checking the team into the town inn for the night. Iori was currently strolling around town taking a look at the various resturants that were available because he had won the right, in a rock-paper-scissors game, to pick where the team was going to eat for the night. Naruto and Rei were currently sitting next to a small stream that ran just outside of the inn that Chouza was checking the team into. As Naruto and Rei waited, for Chouza to finish checking in and for Iori to come back, they talked to each other to pass the time. Their conversation didn't touch on their last mission at all due to the fact they were both still a little sensitive about it. Instead Rei and Naruto talked about various training strategies that they each liked to do back in Konoha.

Suddenly Naruto and Rei heard someone behind them start to chuckle and say, "Well, well, well. Starting to charm the girls a little young aren't you Naruto?" Rei and Naruto, both sporting the tiniest hints of blushes on their checks, turned around to see a white haired man with red lines coming down from his eyes looking at them. The unknown man shifted his gaze over to Rei for a second and then smirked. "Well Naruto, if your going to start early at least you're on the right track flirting with a beauty like this girl."

Naruto moved so that he was slightly in front of Rei and he also moved his hands so that they could quickly grab his kodachis if this unknown man started to cause trouble. In the back of his mind Naruto was wondering how on earth this person could know his name. After all, most of Konoha tried its best to ignore the fact that he existed and except for this latest mission Naruto had never left Konoha's walls. Narrowing his eyes Naruto said with a light edge in his voice, "Who are you and how do you know my name?"

The man then let out a good laugh and said while doing a strange dance, "Who am I? Boy, I am the holy sage of Myouboku Mountain, a man beloved in the North, East, West, and South, I am Jiraiya of the Sannin!" At this point Jiraiya ended his crazy dance and noticed the confused and slightly disbelieving looks that Naruto and Rei were sending towards him. In the back of his mind Jiraiya was grumbling at how Naruto and Rei were reacting to his introductions. "What is it with kids today; no respect. Oh well, at least the boy seems to be growing up all right. Wasn't expecting to meet up with the boy for a few more months yet so is it too soon to start helping the boy?"

While Jiraiya, Naruto, and Rei were standing where they were Chouza came out of the inn and started heading towards them. As Chouza got closer he spotted Jiraiya and then said in a slightly humble tone, "Lord Jiraiya, why are you here?" Chouza then noticed Naruto and Rei; particularly the defensive stance that Naruto was in. With a friendly fatherly voice Chouza said, "Don't worry Naruto; Lord Jiraiya is one of Konoha's most trusted ninjas so stand down. In fact, Lord Jiraiya was the student of the Third Lord Hokage and the personal tutor of the Fourth Lord Hokage." After seeing Naruto stand down from his ready position and go back to standing next to Rei, Chouza inquired with a questioning voice. "Lord Jiraiya, is their any reason why you're in this small town talking to my students? If so is there anyway that I can be of assistance to you?"

Jiraiya just stuck his hands in his pockets, gave a slight shrug, and then said in a nonchalant manner, "I'm just passing through Chouza. Tomorrow I'm going up to Otafuku Gai for some well deserved R and R. Also, I was planning on doing some 'research' there for my latest book." At that point Chouza's face formed a small frown; it was slightly embarrassing after all in Chouza's mind that a man like Lord Jiraiya would waste his time writing such trashy books. Just as Chouza's face went back to its previous neutral state, Jiraiya spoke up again. "Look Chouza, can I borrow Naruto for a minute? It shouldn't take more then a few minutes and then you and your team can go about your business."

Figuring that Jiraiya must a good reason for requesting Naruto's time, Chouza agreed to let Jiraiya and Naruto go talk. Jiraiya then led Naruto a little ways away from Chouza and Rei before Jiraiya started to talk. "Naruto, you most likely don't know it but the Yondaime was a very good friend of your mother. When the Yondaime heard that your mother was expecting you he wrote to me and requested that I allow your mother to sign the Toad Contract as a gift to celebrate your birth." Jiraiya then pulled a large scroll from behind his back before he continued on. "Due to Kyuubi attacking, your mother died before she could sign the contract. Now normally I wouldn't offer this Naruto but I'm going to offer you the chance to sign the Toad Contract in your mother's place. Knowing the Yondaime like I did I figure that he would most likely have requested that you sign the contract as well once you became a ninja."

Naruto stood where he was at that moment and thought about what Jiraiya had told him. The Yondaime being friends with his mother would at least partially explain why the Yondaime had chosen him to contain the Kyuubi. Recalling one of his and Iruka's private conversations, Naruto pulled up all that he knew about Summoning Contracts. According to Iruka, a Summoning Contract was a binding agreement where a ninja agreed to pay with his blood and Chakra for the help of one particular group of summon creatures. Once a person signed a contract, that person was forever bound to a particular group of summon creatures and would never be able to sign another contract. His enemies would become his summons' enemies and their enemies would become his enemies; the same thing went for friends at least according to what Iruka knew. Personally Naruto was willing to believe Iruka because Iruka never taught something unless Iruka was sure that it was correct.

Out of the various Summoning Contracts that Naruto knew of, he figured that the only contract besides the Toads that Jiraiya was offering that he had a shot at getting to sign was the Monkey Contract. However there were two important facts in Naruto's mind that had in impact on his decision. First of all his family apparently had at least a passing association with the Toads. Second, and most important in Naruto's mind, was the issue of future Summoners. Both Jiraiya and Sarutobi were quite old as far as active ninja went but there were differences between the two that were relevant for Naruto's decision. Sarutobi had his children, Konohamaru, and a few younger grandchildren to pass the monkey contract on to when Sarutobi died. While Jiraiya on the other hand was the last living member of his family and all of Jiraiya's students had died. If there were no living summoners for a contract then the contract would be taken away by the summons to their home.

That fact made up Naruto's mind and he decided to accept Jiraiya's offer. There was no way that Naruto would allow the Toad Contract to vanish if he had a chance. Although all summon home locations were tightly guarded secrets, only Jiraiya knew where Myouboku Mountain was so if the contract vanished it would most likely stay gone until someone managed to stumble upon Myouboku Mountain again. Besides, Naruto had always admired the toads when he heard about how the Yondaime was known to use them in battle. With a serious but still cheerful face Naruto said, "Alright Jiraiya, I'll sign the Toad Contract."

Placing the large scroll on the ground, Jiraiya opened the scroll so that his name, Minato Namikaze's name, and a few blank columns were visible. Looking up from his squatting position Jiraiya said, "Alright Naruto sign the contract. Remember that you need to write your name in your blood and then place the finger prints, also in your blood, of your dominant hand at the bottom of the column that you sign your name in." Nodding his head, Naruto bit his right thumb and proceeded to do as Jiraiya had directed. After Naruto was finished Jiraiya rolled the scroll back up and said in a business like way, "Congratulations kid, you are now the latest summoner of the Toads. Since it looks like your teammates are waiting on you I think you should go back now. Don't worry about not knowing the handsigns needed to summon as all summoning contracts use the same exact sign sequence. Besides, you would likely forget them if I showed them to you right now anyway." Naruto ignored Jiraiya's last comment and headed over to rejoin his team.

* * *

On the morning after Team Chouza got back to Konoha, Iori woke up and headed downstairs after he had changed into his regular clothes. His mother was currently cooking at the small family kitchen and his father was currently sitting at the table nearby reading the newspaper. After greeting his parents Iori went over to the fridge and poured himself a glass of milk. Closing the refrigerator Iori walked over at sat across the table from his father. Iori took a gulp of his milk and then said, "So dad, anything in the paper today that isn't a load of rubbish?" A small smile appeared on Mrs. Kusanagi's face as this was something of a morning ritual in the Kusanagi household.

Putting down his newspaper, Iori's dad looked strait at Iori and then he said, "Yes Iori there is a lot more then just rubbish in the newspaper. Perhaps if you bothered to actually read the news once and a while you'd see that for yourself." Mrs. Kusanagi noticed that her husband seemed a bit more tense then usual and inquired as to what he had read. Pinching the bridge of his nose Mr. Kusanagi said, "Sorry dear, and sorry Iori for sounding a little sharp today. I just read about how the Wind Daimyo died last night due to falling down a flight of stairs because he slipped on some tea."

Blinking his eyes Iori took a second to process what his father had just told him. After his mind processed the information, Iori shrugged his shoulders and said, "A suitable ending for a stupid buffoon." All Mr. Kusanagi did about Iori's comment was to ask for some more coffee. It was an open secret that most of Konoha's higher level ninjas had no real respect for the Wind Daimyo and would be glad to see him go. In fact the only people who would more the Wind Daimyo's passing would be a few civilian councilmen and some paper pushing ninjas who would miss the decline of missions from Wind Country. That those missions would decline was a given as heir to Wind Country was known to have opposed his father on many domestic and fiscal issues.

Going on to more pleasant topics, Iori was asked how his mission went as he had only given vague details about it when he came home yesterday. Figuring that there was no harm in telling his parents about the mission, Iori gave them a detailed report on the mission. Iori then went on to talk about the journey back to Konoha and in particular his teammates' run in with Jiraiya. On hearing that one of Iori's teammates had signed a summoning contract, Iori's parents gave each other a quick glance. After looking at each other for a moment they nodded their heads and Mr. Kusanagi spoke, "Well Iori that sounds like an interesting mission you just went on. Before you go met with your teammates today why don't you sign the family summoning contract? You were going to get it latter but your mother and I think that you've shown enough maturity to be allowed to sign now. Besides, this way you and your teammate can learn to summon at the same time."

Iori was surprised when he first heard his father mention the summoning contract but then a smile appeared on his face. The Mongoose Contract had been in the Kusanagi family for generations and it was one of the few items that Iori's parents had been able to take with them when they fled from Grass Country. Although not as famous as the Toad, Slug, or Snake contract; the Mongoose Contract was respected due to the mongooses' noted abilities for being agile and for their knack in fighting other summons. Usually the Mongooses would dismiss a summoned animal after they attacked. However the Mongooses were known to occasionally kill another summon like Hadji, the Mongoose boss, killed Manda's father before Manda took over the Snakes. Mrs. Kusanagi then went upstairs and came back down a few minutes later carrying the contract in her arms. With a smile on her face she set the contract down on the table in front of Iori and said, "Hear you go son. Please put this back upstairs in the master bedroom once you're finished signing. After that, wake up the twins and tell them that breakfast will be ready in fifteen minutes."

* * *

Naruto, Rei, and Iori were all sitting around at Team Chouza's usual training ground talking about what had happened since they had come back from their last mission. Naruto talked about how he and Iruka had gone to Naruto's favorite ramen stand to celebrate a successful C rank mission. Iori explained that he mostly just lazed about at home for that afternoon and that he played with 'the twerps' as well. Rei wasn't able to relax as much because her grandfather had her and her brother cleaning up the house because her cousin was coming over in a few weeks to stay in Konoha for the next month or so. Both boys offered to help Rei clean up her house but Rei turned them down saying that it was all taken care of already.

After that conversation quieted down a bit Naruto said, "You know we must be the oddest genin team in Konoha. I mean seriously, besides the things that already set us apart from our classmates we are probably the only genin team that all the genin have summoning contracts. Even the Sanin didn't get their contracts until they were all Chunin after all. And here we are, three rookie genin with contracts. Me with the Toads, Iori with the Mongooses and Rei here is going to get to sign the Raven Contract next week for her birthday. Which reminds me, I still need to go out and get you a birthday gift Rei." At that point Rei blushed slightly as she wasn't used to the idea of people outside of her family going out and getting her a birthday present.

Iori, who was lying on a tree branch above where Naruto and Rei were sitting, then chimed in and said, "Your right about needing to go get a birthday present for Rei, Naruto. How about we double check with her folks to make sure that we don't accidentally buy the same gift twice." Rei's face by that point was doing an impression of a tomato from embarrassment. Although Rei was quite embarrassed by Naruto and Iori's comments; she was very grateful that she had friends like the boys. After being isolated in her academy class like she had been Rei treasured Naruto and Iori's friendship for the simple friendship that it was. Being able to have people that she could relate to like Team Chouza was a dream come true for the 'ice priestess' as she had heard some girls call her behind her back.

Figuring Rei didn't want to listen to them talk about her birthday any more, Naruto decided to change the topic slightly. "While it might be odd that we're all going to have summoning contracts; it works out very well. I mean, once we all get some practice with our contracts we will be in great shape summoning wise. It is known that the Toad, the Mongooses, and the Ravens are all friendly with each other so we won't have to worry too much about summon conflicts like a few teams have to deal with. Also, the abilities of the Toads, Mongooses, and the Ravens complement each other giving us a good balance. True we won't really have to worry about that sort of thing for a while and we first have to learn to summon correctly but it is a good thing I think to think about." After listening to Naruto talk, both Rei and Iori nodded their heads to show that they agreed with what Naruto said.

Iori at this point hopped down out of the tree saying that he saw Chouza coming over and the other two team members quickly saw Chouza coming after they were told of his approach. Chouza stopped about five feet in front of the trio and then said, "Okay team here's the deal. First we are going to do our normal team exercises and then once that's done we're going to go and get a mission. Just so you know ahead of time, our mission will be a D rank mission. Konoha's regulations state that all rookie genin teams must take at least two D rank missions in between C rank missions. This is designed to give you guys the chance to better cool off and not get too psychologically worked up do to mission stress. They might be annoying but no one can really claim that D rank missions are stressful, unless it involves chasing after that cat." Team Chouza all had a good laugh at Chouza's joke before they all set about with their planed activities for the day.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: If you have the brain power to turn on the computer, find this website, and get to this point in the story then you obviously have the brain power to figure out that I don't own Naruto.

At the Higurashi family home Rei's birthday was being celebrated with a birthday party. The party was a semi-small one with only Rei's brother Katshuito, her widowed mother, her grandfather, and Team Chouza there to celebrate the day with Rei. This didn't bother Rei at all because she didn't have any friends outside of those that were there and Rei wasn't the kind of person to use parties to build up social connections. In fact the small parity with cake, her favorite dinner made just the way she liked it, and family and friends was just how Rei liked to celebrate her birthdays.

Once everyone had finished eating dinner it was decided that Rei should open up her birthday presents. From her grandfather Rei received a copy of a family book containing a lot of information about seals that the Higurashi had collected over the years. When Rei asked why she got her own copy her grandfather had shrugged and said that this way Rei could keep up on her studies while on long missions. Rei got a 10,000 ryo gift certificate to her favorite clothing outlet. Katshuito as his gift let Rei sign the Raven contract that all adult and ninja members of the Higurashi Clan were allowed to sign. Choza and Iori both gave Rei a book on genjutsu and a blade maintenance kit respectively. Finally Naruto gave Rei his gift which was a book containing various landscape ink sketches. In Naruto's mind the bright smile that Rei gave him when he handed her that book was worth all the hassle he went through in order to get it.

Fifteen minutes after Naruto handed Rei his gift, and after everyone had some cake, Kashuito lead his little sister and her fellow genin out into the backyard of the Higurashi home. With a playful smile on his face Kashuito said, "Okay you three I was talking with your sensei the other day and we decided that I would be the one to teach you three how to summon. You see, while Chouza knows the signs needed in order to summon; he doesn't have a summon contract himself. The reason for this is because his grandfather died without passing on the bear contract to Chouza's father. Sadly a Rock ninja managed to get the bear contract before Chouza's father could. Now then, these are the handsigns that you need you use and the order to do them in so that you can summon." After showing the trio the handsigns they needed to do Kashuito saw the look of surprise on Iori's face. In an I-know-something-that-you-don't voice Kashuito said, "Is it so hard to comprehend the idea that a priest knows handsigns? If it wasn't for the help of many priests and hermits the Six Realms Sage wouldn't have been able to create handsigns in the first place."

Although he kept his mouth shut Naruto was laughing inside his mind. While many ninjas and civilians seemed to think that shinobi had a monopoly on Chakra usage that was far from the case. From what Naruto had been able to find out from various books, priests and various other holy people had been using chakra for centuries before the Six Realms Sage was born. In fact the genius of the Six Realms Sage did not lie in discovering Chakra as so many people erroneously believed but in creating handsigns. Before the Six Realms Sage created handsigns Chakra could only be used internally or through the use of the sealing arts. By creating handsigns the Six Realms Sage made it so that people could use Chakra without having to create seals. While handsigns couldn't duplicate the effects of some of the extremely complex seals, there versatility and ease of learning allowed for the modern ninja to be born.

Kashuito, after enjoying Iori's embarrassment for a moment, proceeded to summon a Raven that was big enough for Kashuito to ride on the summons' back. For a moment Kashuito stood where he was and scratched the Raven under the chin. Turning his attention back to his sister and her teammates Kashuito said, "This is Hugin, he and his younger twin Munin are the oldest children of the Raven boss Wodanaz. One thing that all three of you must remember is to show your summons a great deal of respect. Now most of the younger summons may act like kids and be rather laid back but the older and stronger summons will not help you unless you show them a great deal of respect. Now I want all three of you to perform the summoning jutsu and just so you know you should put in a minimum amount of Chakra into the jutsu as you would for an average C rank jutsu."

Naruto, Rei, and Iori all nodded their head to show that they understood what Kashuito was telling them. All three of them then in synchronized motions cut their thumbs, went through the set of handsigns, and set their hands on the ground calling out "Summoning Jutsu." When the smoke on the ground cleared up there was a toad, a raven and a mongoose looking up at the three genin. Team Chouza and their summons quickly got acquainted with each other. Gamakichi it turned out was the eldest son of the Toad boss Gamabunta and Gamakichi quickly became friends with Naruto. Rei's summon turned out to be Wodanaz's daughter Lenore while Iori's summon happened to be the nephew of the Mongoose boss and his name was Khan. After getting to know their new friends, and sharing a good bit of Rei's birthday cake, Team Chouza was able to earn the iron bound loyalty and trust of their new summons along with a pledge that all three summons would work together. Team Chouza was delighted to hear that pledge because even though all three of their summon clans were friendly with each other it didn't mean that they would automatically work together under the trio's direction.

* * *

A week after Rei's birthday Team Chouza was given their second C-rank mission: patrol a section of the southeastern Fire Country border for a month. The section Team Chouza was to patrol really didn't have any tactical significance and was far from any roads or towns. Mostly this part of the Fire Country border was only used as an area for genin teams to gain experience with patrolling the boarder. Not that these kinds of missions weren't important to Fire Country and thus Konoha's security but the chance of something noteworthy happening in that neck of the woods were ridiculously slim. In fact most Chunin and Jonin liked to joke that the patrol missions in that area were only labeled as C rank missions so that genin could say that they had a C rank mission under their belt.

While other genin, and in particular rookie, teams tended to complain a lot when they found out about what patrol missions in that part of Fire Country were considered Team Chouza did not. One thing that all three genin had quickly developed was a level of professionalism in regards to their missions that rarely was seen in ninjas until they were Chunin. To Chouza's immense pride the trio had calmly accepted the mission, gone home to grab their long duration mission supplies, and had meet up at the agreed upon meeting spot. As far as Team Chouza was concerned this was a mission that was needed to be taken care of that also had a side benefit of allowing them training time in between their sweeps of the area. Chouza personally had to chuckle a bit when his team told him about the training they could get in; most genin teams used their break periods for these kinds of missions to just relax.

It took Team Chouza four days to get from Konoha to their assigned patrol area. One Team Chouza got to the patrol area on the afternoon of the fourth day they were greeted by the team that they were relieving. Naruto was surprised to find out that the other team was none other then his old classmates in Team 8. There wasn't any time for chit-chat among the two teams as Chouza handed Kurenai a scroll officially stating that they were relieving Team 8 of duties and that Team 8 was to head back to Konoha. Once Kurenai double-checked to make sure that the scroll was authentic she immediately told her students to gather their things so that they could head back to Konoha. Team Chouza didn't offer to help Team 8 pack up Team 8's campsite because Team Chouza didn't want to insult the other team. Such an offer of help would imply that Team Chouza didn't think that Team 8 was capable of such a basic thing as taking down their camp.

Heading in the opposite direction, standard Konoha regulations stating that patrol campsites weren't supposed to be use for more then a month at a time, Team Chouza began to look for a good campsite. After five minutes of searching the team was able to find a small meadow that the trio decided would make an excellent campsite. In the meadow there was a single old oak that would provide an excellent lookout post and there was a small fast moving stream nearby that could be used as a water source. Chouza, not seeing anything strategically wrong with the site, decided to go along with his student's decision. With their new campsite picked out Team Chouza went to work setting up their camp.

Since this was a patrol camp and not an overnight camp there were slight changes in how the camp was set up. The most obvious changes in the camp setup was the fact that there were only two tents instead of three and the fact that greater care was taken in camouflaging the camp. Unlike overnight camps where the object is to maximize the team's rest period without weakening a team's combat readiness or alertness, a patrol camp was so that a team would have a place to sleep between patrol shifts. Since two team members would be patrolling at all times there was only the need for two tents. As the camp was being set up Naruto and Iori were the ones actually setting up the tents and camouflaging them. Chouza was in the woods collecting firewood and was also in charge of refilling the team's water supplies. Rei for her part was in the process of setting up some seals to warn the team if someone besides a team member was approaching the campsite. These seals were too tiring to make for an overnight camp and too impractical for a large village like Konoha but out here they were a wonderful tool.

Once the camp was set up, and Chouza returned carrying a deer that he had caught for dinner, the team sat around the fire and talked while Naruto grilled some venison steaks. The stars were just starting to shine as Team Chouza ate their dinner. After an enjoyable supper Iori, who was assigned cleanup duties by everyone else due to his horrible cooking abilities, was handed the dishes which he started to wash. While Iori was washing the dishes Chouza started to speak. "As you all know, patrol duties are based on two man teams on alert for six hours before turning the watch over to the next pair. For this week the pairs will be Naruto and Rei along with me and Iori. Next week the pairs will be Naruto and Iori along with me and Rei. The current watch will start with Naruto and Rei who will stand watch until midnight." Chouza then went into one of the tents to get some sleep while Iori, not wanting to deal with the foghorn, went into the other tent after he was done washing the dishes.

* * *

At the stroke of midnight Naruto and Rei woke up their sleeping teammates. It took about ten minutes for Iori and Chouza to get ready to take the watch but then Naruto and Rei went into their own tents grateful to be able to get some shuteye. Naruto was in the middle of putting on his nightshirt when he heard the rustling of his tent flap being opened. Going over his options in a split second Naruto figured that either his teammates were warning him about an approaching enemy or more seriously an enemy managed to somehow get into the camp without tripping the alarm. Turning about with a kunai in his hands Naruto turned to look at the intruder. "R-rei," Naruto uttered, "Why are you here?"

Standing in the doorway of Naruto's tent was none other then his teammate Rei. Her hair as usual was hanging down and she was now wearing a light pink one-piece outfit that ended with a skirt like bottom just above her knees. As Naruto looked at Rei he felt a strange yearning and desire that he had never felt before start to emerge. Those feelings went to the back-burner of Naruto's mind as wondered why Rei wasn't asleep in her tent. After putting the flap of the tent back into place Rei turned and said to Naruto, "Do you remember our conversation earlier about your seal?"

Naruto nodded his head to show that he understood Rei's question; for some odd reason Naruto had found that he was having trouble speaking. Speech impediments aside, Naruto could remember the earlier conversation with crystal clarity. During their watch Naruto and Rei had discussed Naruto's status as a Jinchuuriki. Even though Naruto was a Jinchuuriki he honestly knew nothing about Jinchuurikis except that they held demons imprisoned in their bodies. As the Higurashi family archives had as much information on Jinchuurikis as the Uzumaki had on bloodlines Rei had spent most of the conversation enlightening Naruto as to his situation. For the most part Jinchuurikis were just like any other person except for a few common quirks that all Jinchuuriki seemed to possess; an obsession with Ramen being one of the biggest and most universal of these quirks.

Taking one step closer to Naruto Rei continued in her calm sweet voice. "As I'm sure you remember from our conversations Naruto, being a Jinchuuriki has an unusual effect on your chakra system. Because your and the Kyuubi's chakra systems are, however small it might seem, connected your chakra reserves are a lot larger then normal and your chakra control is a lot harder. Your mother's family and their history of rather large chakra reserves have compounded the problem that you've already faced. As things stand you won't be able to improve your chakra control much further beyond the current state that it's in."

Naruto bowed his head in embarrassment at listening to Rei remind him of his biggest problem. It had been a little over four months since Naruto had unlocked the Ranseigan but his chakra control had barely increased improved at all since the Ranseigan was unlocked. Even though Iruka had honestly stated that Naruto's chakra control was equivalent to 80 of Iruka's control for their respective reserves Naruto was determined to get better. Most other non-genjutsu specialist ninjas would have been confused as to why Naruto wanted to improve his chakra control beyond its current level. The simple fact of the matter was that Irukia had always stress the continuous improvement of a ninjas skill in as many areas as possible and that was something that Naruto held as well. As Naruto thought on the fact that his chakra control wasn't improving he remembered something that Rei had said. Looking up and into Rei's emerald eyes Naruto said, "I won't be able to improve as things stand. Does that mean that you know of a way that will allow me to improve my chakra control Rei?"

With a slight nod of her head Rei smiled and then said, "Yes Naruto there is a way that I can help you improve your chakra control. As you know my family has had a great deal of contact with Jinchuuriki and one of the things that we were able to discover was how to help a Jinchuuriki better control their chakra." Rei paused for a moment to take another step towards Naruto before she continued on. "I've studied several of those methods designed to help Jinchuuriki deal with the consequences of having a demon sealed within them and there is a method that I want to use to help you. This particular method has the twofold advantages of strengthening your seal and helping to purify your chakra reserves. However this method takes a long time to fully work and it also requires me to be in arm's length of you while I'm actively using this technique. In order to work it into our patrols the only time I can see that we would really have available is during our rest period. Therefore I decided to come over here."

Naruto was quite shocked when Rei mentioned that she would have to be sleeping next to him in order for this technique to work with their time constraints. While Naruto's knowledge of the opposite sex was even more limited than most boys his age, Naruto did know that most girls wouldn't let their teammates stay in the same tent as them. "Ah Rei," Naruto began trying to understand the situation, "Why are you doing this? I mean, from what I've heard most girls don't want a guy to be within ten feet of them while their asleep."

Rei couldn't hold back a small smile as she watched the confusion dance on Naruto's face. Taking another steep closer Rei said quietly, "I'm doing this Naruto because you're my friend and I want to help you. As for most other girls," and at this Rei shrugged her shoulders, "unlike them I trust you Naruto." Being a girl around Naruto required at least an unconscious offer of trust in order to sleep easily at night. Although Rei would never ever believe Naruto of using his bloodline in such a way many girls would be afraid of the Ranseigan being used for less then appropriate purposes.

After taking another few steps closer to Naruto Rei stopped about two feet away from Naruto and she said, "Okay Naruto, in order for this technique to work I need you lie down on your back and let me see the seal." Trusting Rei to know what she was doing, Naruto quickly followed Rei's directions. Once Naruto was on the ground Rei began to perform a complex series of handsigns. When the last handsign was completed Rei's right hand started to glow with a faint white light. Rei then made her way over to Naruto's right side and she then slowly lowered herself to the floor. Lying next to Naruto, Rei placed her right hand on Naruto's stomach over the seal and then proceeded to fall asleep.

* * *

Midway through the first week of patrol Chouza and Iori were relaxing by the large old oak as they enjoyed their off period from patrols. Chouza was currently sitting on the ground munching on an apple while Iori was perch on one of the larger tree branches of the old oak. Iori looked down from his perch and said, "Chouza, why are you letting Naruto and Rei sleep next to each other? I mean I know that there aren't any regulations against dating a member of your own team but usually from what I've heard most Jonin senseis don't allow their students to be in such situations until the students are at least Chunin."

Chouza stopped munching on his apple and thought over what Iori was asking about. One thing about Iori's question was the fact that Iori's voice and Iori's earlier actions made it obvious that Iori was acting like a concerned brother instead of a jealous suitor. The fact that Iori was looking at his other teammates as family was a big plus in Chouza's book. However much Chouza was happy at Ioir's outlook Chouza was a little unsure of how to answer the question. It wouldn't do to just lie and say that Rei and Naruto were actually going out although Chouza himself suspected that the two would soon pair up before the end of the year at the latest. Even though ninjas needed to employ trickery at times Chouza never liked lying and lying about a person's relationship was a huge no-no in his book.

After a few minutes Chouza was able to think up a response that he figured would be able to answer Iori's question without breaking any laws. In his usual voice Chouza said, "Naruto and Rei aren't dating, at least not yet. You see Iori, Naruto has a rather unique condition that the vast majority of people don't ever have to worry about. The condition isn't a medical problem so you don't have to worry about getting sick if that ever occurs to you. Now I'm not allowed to go into detail about Naruto's condition because of certain laws that are in place. In fact the only people who are allowed to disclose what Naruto's condition is are Naruto himself and the Hokage. Rei's family has over the years developed several clan jutsus to help people in Naruto's condition overcome certain hindrances that the condition causes. The best technique that Rei knows to help with Naruto's condition uses relatively little chakra but takes a long time to work. Since the technique can be done in a person's sleep Rei has been doing it while she and Naruto sleep so that they can use their other break period to train."

Iori, although he knew that Chouza wouldn't be able to see it, nodded his head in understanding. Although Iori was very much intrigued to want to know what Naruto's condition was Iori didn't plan on trying to figure it out. It was obvious to Iori that Naruto's condition, whatever it may be, wasn't something that a lot of the civilians liked. Musing over the situation Iori figured that these unknown laws were put into place to help Naruto lead a normal life despite what his condition may be. Soon enough Iori put those questions out of his mind a promised to help his friends and not to judge Naruto if he ever decided to reveal this condition.

Chouza, who had resumed munching on his apple, thought about the whole situation around his team. One thing that Chouza was really grateful for was the fact that his team got along so well and that they worried about each other. Thinking about Naruto and Rei, Chouza decided not to worry about those two's relationship. At the moment Naruto and Rei were only friends even if that friendship evolved into something more Chouza fine with it. After all, the only real reason why Jonin sensei's discouraged genin romances was because of the fact that most genin didn't have the level of professionalism to handle working with a loved one in a hostile environment. Given how well his students worked Chouza knew that they would be able to handle such a situation if it appeared.

* * *

Iruka was taking a walk through one of the parks in Konoha when Iruka stumbled across an interesting sight. There on one of the park benches was Konohamaru apparently moping about. Seeing Konohamaru look so depressed really made Iruka sad. Kids should be happy and should enjoy life as far as Iruka was concerned. Making his way over to Konohamaru Iruka politely coughed to get Konohamaru's attention before saying. "Ah Konohamaru, why are you so sad? After all, it's a wonderful day out and I do recall seeing Udon and Moegi playing at the otherside of the park."

Konohamaru looked up at Iruka and gave a small smile; he was very touched that Iruka had called him by his given name instead of 'Honorable Grandson'. Unfortunately for Iruka's peace of mind Konohamaru's smile quickly vanish to return to the depressed look it was before. With a slight sigh Konohamaru said in a dreary voice, "It's nothing too serious mister Umino. I just miss Naruto. After all, he's been gone for almost four weeks! How much longer will it be before I can play with him again?"

Iruka closed his eyes for a second as he thought about how he should respond to Konohamaru's inquiries. Thanks to his frequent talks with Naruto Iruka was well aware of the friendship that the two boys had struck up. To be perfectly honest with himself Iruka considered Naruto and Konohamaru's friendship to be a very beneficial relationship for the two boys. Due to being a role model for Konohamaru, Naruto was maturing at an even faster rate then Iruka had expected. As for Konohamaru, having a person who recognized him as his own person was keeping the little guy from pulling a whole bunch of pranks.

Iruka, not wanting to let Konohamaru stay depressed, sat down on the bench and started to talk. "You know Konohamaru, it's alright to miss a friend when their out on a long mission. I always miss my friends, Naruto included, whenever their on a mission outside of Konoha no matter whether their gone for one day or one year. Having friends Konohamaru means that we enjoy when there with us and we miss them when their away. It's just a fact of life that every human being has to learn to deal with at some point in their lives. You're not used to such an idea because until Naruto started to go on missions outside of Konoha all of your friends were right here."

Iruka stopped talking for a moment so he could get a good look at Konohamaru's face and see how the little boy was taking what Iruka was telling him. Although Konohamaru no longer had his face on his hands the little boy was still quite sad. Refusing to leave a job have done, Iruka thought about how he could finish getting his point across and cheer Konohamaru up. Suddenly an idea came to Iruka and he said, "Look Konohamaru when your Uncle Asuma has to go on missions outside of the village you miss him right?" Konohamaru nodded his head and Iruka continued talking. "Now even though you miss your uncle you always know that he'll come back as soon as his mission is completed right Konohamaru."

Suddenly Konohamaru's eyes brightened up as the little boy figured out what Iruka was trying to tell him. Turning to face Iruka Konohamaru said in an ever increasingly cheerful tone, "I get it now Mister Umino! Just like how Uncle Asuma always comes back and sees me after a mission Naruto will come and see me." All signs of Konohamaru's former depression had vanished leaving only a smiling little kid with a missing front tooth.

In response to Konohamaru's smile Iruka gave a small grin of his own. While the two of them were sitting on the stone bench Iruka mentally began going through the calendar. Remembering why he had felt that today was important when he woke up in the morning Iruka looked down and said, "I just remembered something Konohamaru. You see, Today's the day that Naruto's team are expected to return from their patrol mission. Now they might have possibly been delayed slightly but there is a very good chance that they will return home soon. Do you want to go to the main gates and wait to see if Naruto's team shows up for a bit?"

As soon as the words left Iruka's mouth Konohamaru latched onto Iruka and gave him a bone crushing hug. While Iruka worked to get Konohamaru to let go of him he wondered how such a little boy could have such a strong grip. After getting Konohamaru to stop trying to break his arms Iruka lead Konohamaru over to where his two friends were playing. It didn't take much effort for Konohamaru to convince his friends to come with him and Iruka over to the main gates of the village. Leading the trio of little tykes through the village Iruka chuckled a bit of the thought that he would start teaching these guys next week when the Ninja Academy started up again."

Iruka and the tykes reached the main gates just in time to see the gates start to open up. When the gate doors finished opening up so that the party could see who was coming through Konohamaru's eyes lit up. Right in front of Konohamaru was none other then Naruto and the rest of Team Chouza. Rei was standing to Naruto's right while Iori was standing to Naruto's left a bit further away then Naruto and Rei were. Lastly Konohamaru saw that Chouza, who Konohamaru had been introduced to by his grandfather, standing behind the genin trio with a big friendly smile on his face. Not wanting to waste another moment Konohamaru ran up to Naruto shouting Naruto's name and giving the whiskered boy a big hug.

* * *

Author's notes: here is chapter 8 and I hope everyone is enjoying the story. I want to thank everyone for their reviews and I ask that they keep on coming. Just so everyone knows I'm going back to school on the fourth so my story production slow down. With luck I'll be able to manage one new chapter of my stories a week; two if I'm lucky but I'm not counting on it. Please just keep the Reviews coming and I'll try my best to keep you guys entertained. HistorianoftheKais 


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and if you're reading this then you most likely don't own Naruto as well.

In the field that Team Chouza usually used for training purposes Naruto and Iori were currently having a taijutsu fight. Normally on a day like today Team Chouza would be practicing together before going off on a mission. Unfortunately for that routine two things had happened. First, Chouza had been requested to join his old teammates from the Ino-Shika-Chou trio for an A rank mission. Not wanting to bring his students into a situation that was most likely going to go over their heads Chouza had requested that Team Chouza be put on reserve for the duration of his A rank mission. For the past week Naruto, Rei, and Iori had all gotten together to train so as to keep up their skills. Sadly for the boys Rei had to call in sick this morning so they were left with only each other to train with.

As the main focus for today's training Iori and Naruto had decided to work on taijutsu. The sparing match that Naruto and Iori were doing was over all a very interesting and unpredictable match. Naruto's Uzu Sen Ken style was based on the idea of very hard and crushing blows flowing one after the other. This flow of attacks was often brought about through Naruto spinning as he attacked. One example of such an attack that Naruto liked to do was a haymaker used to soften a person and then very quickly following the haymaker with a jab from the elbow. These fast and constant attacks of Naruto's along with Naruto's ability to maneuver around could give Naruto's opponent the sensation that he was trapped in a whirlpool.

Iori was no slouch either when it came to taijutsu and Iori also had the advantage being trained in a family taijutsu style. Kusanagi family, like many ninja clans and ninja clan founders, had developed a taijutsu style that best played to the strengths of the clan. The Kusanagi family taijutsu style, which was interestingly enough known as Lighting Kickboxing, differed greatly from many of the taijutsu styles found in the Elemental Countries. In Lighting Kickboxing the hands were not used for attack at all and they were only used to deflect an opponent's attack. Instead all of the damaged dealt to the opponent was done with the legs. This was very different then most other taijutsu styles in the Elemental Countries which had come to use a person's fists as the primary and/or preferred method of attack.

This was a match of pure skill against skill for the boys and absolutely nothing but taijutsu was allowed for the fight. As a show of good faith Naruto had taken off his sunglasses so that Iori could visually see that Naruto's Ranseigan was not active. Although they tried to make the fight as fair as possible, both Naruto and Iori had advantages in the fight that just couldn't be taken away. Iori, unlike Naruto, had been trained in the Lighting Kickboxing style for years. Shadow Clones, while they are very good substitute, just couldn't truly beat the physical conditioning and training that years of good solid exercise could bring a person. Taijutsu unlike Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or the Sealing Arts, was a predominantly physical art making it that using too many shadow clones for training would have the adverse effect of making a person fight like they had 'lost their edge'.

Naruto, while he would readily admit to being less skilled then Iori in Taijutsu happened to also have a very good hand for this particular match. Thanks to his training with Iruka Naruto had been able to figure out how to use Shadow Clones to speed up his training without causing a gap between his skill level and what his body could do. Still, even with the Shadow Clone training the skill difference in pure taijutsu between Naruto and Iori was too great. Also the fact that Naruto wasn't using the Ranseigan to help him left Naruto was a bit of trouble as the Uzu Sen Ken style was designed to help utilize the Ranseigan. With all of these handy caps that Naruto had he slowly and steadily was defeated by Iori. Naruto's regeneration bloodline, which seemed to be getting stronger lately only helped Naruto delay his defeat.

After Naruto lost the spar both he and Iori sat down on the training field to catch their breaths. There were smiles on both of their faces because they enjoyed the fight that they had just had. Naruto, who a propped up against a tree that was on the edge of the field reached into his pocket and pulled out a small scroll. Opening up the scroll just a bit Naruto came to the first storage seal on the scroll that he wanted to use. Swiping his finger across the seal Naruto activated the storage seal which resulted in a small smoke explosion being released. When the smoke cleared Naruto was holding a large canteen in his hand. Naruto then uncorked the lid of the canteen and took a long chug of water. Once he was done drinking Naruto tossed the canteen over to Iori who also took a long chug.

After both of the boys had something to drink Naruto turned to face Iori. Closing his eyes for a moment Naruto tried to shore up his resolve for what he was about to do. Naruto knew that Iori really should know about the Kyuubi. Team Chouza had after all been working together for four months already and Iori was the only member of the team to not know about the demon. True there wasn't really any instance in the Team's history that Iori not knowing about the Kyuubi would negatively affect the team. However Iori's ignorance on this matter seemed to Naruto to be creating a slight undercurrent of friction in the team. This was something that Naruto was determined to correct as a team needed its members to be able to absolutely trust each other.

Naruto opened his eyes and said, "Iori, there's something I want to talk to you about." Upon hearing Naruto's voice Iori turned to give Naruto his full attention. Once Naruto could see that Iori was paying attention Naruto continued to speak. "As you know Iori, I have a 'condition' that Rei has been helping me take care of for the past two months. Well here's what's going on Iori, during the Kyuubi assault things didn't go like they teach us in the academy. The Yondaime had to seal the Kyuubi into a child in order to stop its assault on the village. I was chosen as the child to have the Kyuubi sealed into because I was born on that day and because my mother was friends with the Yondaime. Rei's been using her bloodline to help me lessen the negative effects that containing the Kyuubi has had on my body."

Iori quietly sat where he was and processed what Naruto had just told him. What Naruto had said made perfect sense in Iori mind. It did explain why many of the civilians in Konoha were either hostile to Naruto or they tried their best to ignore his existence. Turning to face Naruto Iori said solemnly, "Thank you for telling me about the Kyuubi and I want you to know that you have my full support." Seeing the look of relief and happiness on Naruto's face when he said that made Iori proud that he had promised himself not to judge Naruto or his condition a while back.

* * *

Katshuito was calmly sweeping the steps of the shrine when he noticed Naruto coming towards the shrine. Normally Katshuito wouldn't pay too much attention to his little sister's teammates simply because they mostly just came around do to ninja business or to talk with Rei. As a big brother Katshuito was of two minds about Rei's teammates and in particular Naruto. Naruto and Iori were Rei's teammates and their friendship with Rei was something that Rei had really needed for some time. On the other hand, they were boys and Naruto was getting a little too close to Rei for Katshuito's tastes as a big brother. True, Katshuito had nothing against Naruto but it was the principal of the thing. However Katshuito wasn't really thinking about Rei and Naruto's friendship at the moment because he was shocked by the look on Naruto's face. Instead of his normal friendly face Naruto looked extremely scared and worried.

Seeing Naruto's face like that greatly worried Katshuito. While Katshuito may have been a little cautious towards Naruto when it came to the relationship that Naruto seemed to be forging with Rei, Katshuito greatly respected Naruto. As Naruto rounded corner and started climbing up the steps Katshuito laid his broom down. When Naruto reached the top of the stairs he was caught by Katshuito who said, "What is it Naruto? Why are you running so fast?"

Naruto looked up at Katshuito and said in a ragged breath, "M-my seal. W-when I got up this morning my seal; you know the one that I'm talking about." Katshuito nodded his head to show that he knew that Naruto was talking about the seal use to keep the Kyuubi locked inside Naruto. After seeing Katshuito nod his head Naruto continued his explanation. "I was taking a shower this morning when I glanced at the seal in my mirror and it's changed!" With that said Naruto lifted up his t-shirt just enough to expose his stomach and force the seal to reveal itself.

Katshuito looked down and carefully observed the now visible seal. The Dead Demon Consuming Seal and the Four Image Seal were both exactly the same as they always had been. However, the Eight Divinations Signs Seal Style, which was the 'spokes' of Naruto's seal had changed. Instead of being a solid black script that it used to be the outer third of each 'spoke' was now a dull silver color. Racking his brains for a moment, Katshuito remembered an old family scroll that all Higurashi were supposed to study. Looking Naruto in the eye Katshuito said in a firm voice, "Calm down Naruto. There is no need for you to worry about your seal; all will be explained shortly. However, we need to go and talk with my little sister about this."

With that said Katshuito lead a much more calm, but at the same time confused, Naruto into the Higurashi household. Katshuito and Naruto didn't have to look very far for Rei because she was currently sitting at the dinner table in her usual pink one-piece pajamas with a red bathroom on. There was a look of surprise on Rei's face as she watched her brother and her 'teammate' walk through the door. After all, today was the weekend so Rei didn't expect any of her teammates to be here until eleven o'clock if they were to come over at all today. Getting out of her seat Rei gave the two a smile and said, "Hello brother, Hello Naruto. What's going on that Naruto is here so early?"

Katshuito shot Rei a questioning look and he said, "Naruto came over here today very worried. It seems that the seal holding back the Kyuubi is starting to change; in fact the outer tips of the seal are starting to become silver. Now why I wonder Naruto's seal changing?"

Rei thought about what Katshuito had said for a second and then she said, "That doesn't make any sense. I've been strengthening the seal and purifying Naruto's chakra system at the same time with the Celestial Caress Seal for the past two months whenever I had a reasonable amount of time to use the sealing technique. However, given the fact that the Kyuubi is the strongest of all demons, it should have taken years if not decades before the seal showed any signs of the purification process!" Inside her head Rei furiously went over all of her extensive sealing knowledge. The Celestial Caress Seal worked with the Higurashi bloodline by directing her chakra to go into Naruto's body and eliminate the foreign chakra a.k.a. the Kyuubi's. At the same time, Naruto seal would have been strengthened. While several weeks of this treatment would have been enough to start purifying the seal of a Jinchuuriki for a minor spirit, it shouldn't have been enough for Naruto.

Katshuito saw the look of confusion and disbelief on Rei's face and he would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. "Rei the Kyuubi may be the strongest of the Tailed Demons, but you overlooked a very important fact. Unlike the Jinchuuriki that our ancestors helped in the past the Kyuubi is _asleep _in the seal." As soon as Katshuito said that the Kyuubi was asleep Rei's eyes practically bulged out of her head. Katshuito placed his hand on his forehead like he was trying to keep a migraine from coming and said in a serious tone, "Little Sister why didn't you talk to grandfather or me first? You may be one of the most talented person in the sealing arts that this family has produced since Kikyo lived over 350 years ago but you still don't know all there is to know about sealing."

Naruto wondered what was going on that Rei and Katshuito were talking about. Letting out a polite cough to get the two's attentions Naruto said, "What's going on? From what you two are saying it sounds like my seal is supposed to change like it is but it's changing too soon. Can someone please explain to me what this all means and how it affects me? And for that matter, why are you acting like Rei's done something wrong Katshuito? Rei's sealing technique has allowed me to gain a greater deal of control over my chakra and has also allowed my healing ability to increase since its not having to repair the damage that the Kyuubi's charka causes. As the bearer of the seal in question I think I have a right to know what's going on."

Rei nodded her head and she said in her usual voice, "Of course Naruto you do deserve to know what's going on." Taking a deep breath for a second Rei then continued, "As I've told you before Naruto, being a Jinchuuriki has certain negative effects on a human body. These negative effects are caused by the fact that yokai or demon chakra is, for lack of a better word, corrosive to most living organisms. Thanks to our bloodline the Higurashi Clan can neutralize the minute amounts of yokai that are filtered into a Jinchuuriki's chakra network. Now when I've been treating you with the Celestial Caress Seal I've not only been neutralizing those yokai particles in your network but I've also been establishing 'converters' in the seal that contains the Kyuubi. These 'converters' allows your seal to transform the Kyuubi's yokai into your own chakra. You see Naruto with how the seal was designed it would have allowed you to draw power from the Kyuubi but you would have been drawing yokai and not chakra. While yokai is powerful, using it in great amounts or over a period of time would have had terrible consequences for your body."

Katshuito then took over the conversation at that moment and said, "Very true Rei, very true." Turning to Naruto Katshuito then said, "you see Naruto, these 'converters' take a while to develop. The length of time that they develop in is related to the strength of the demon sealed in the person; stronger demons take longer then weaker demons. According to the Higurashi records as these 'converters' develop the seal on a Jinchuriki will start to change color showing that the 'converters' had been established and how strong they were. With the strength that the Kyuubi possesses it normally would have taken years or decades for this process to start to show. However my Little Sister forgot to take into account that the Kyuubi is currently sleeping within you Naruto and thus the process has been sped up dramatically."

Naruto tilted his head and got a confused look on his face as he processed what he was being told. With his head and face in that confused position Naruto said, "So what's the big deal then? From what you're telling me I'll soon be able to use the Kyuubi like a very large chakra battery and not have any bad effects on my body." Opening his eyes Naruto saw that Rei's face was full of worry and Katshuito's face was very serious. The fact that their faces were like that made Naruto nervous. Looking Rei in the eye Naruto said, "Rei, why are you worried?"

Katshuito let out a small sigh and said, "Naruto why don't you sit down before I explain everything." Naruto did as Katshuito instructed and then Katshuito started to explain. "From what I've seen of your seal Naruto you're almost at the point where you will start to receive chakra from the 'converters' that Rei has created for you. According to the family records, the chakra is immediately pumped into your chakra network and as the process is completed more and more chakra is pumped into your system. For weak demons this isn't a problem because the Jinchuuriki is able to adapt to the increased chakra. Unfortunately, given your current age, strength, and the strength of the Kyuubi the fact that the chakra will enter your chakra network is very bad. If left unchecked your chakra network will be flooded with chakra; this will lead to your chakra control deteriorating and later you would develop serious medical conditions due to containing far too much charka for you body to be able to handle."

Rei slammed her hand down on the table and she said in a surprisingly angry voice, "Enough of that brother! Why are you needlessly scaring Naruto? I may have made a mistake in my calculation of how fast the Celestial Caress Seal was working but that's something that can be easily corrected. All we have to do is graft a regulatory and/or a buffer seal onto Naruto's existing seal. Once the new seal or seals are added Naruto won't ever have to worry about this again and he will get a great energy boost out of the deal. This whole situation was caused by an error on my part and I will do everything and anything in my power to correct it for Naruto."

Katshuito looked into Rei's eyes and saw the fire and determination that were shining there. Never had Rei ever mustered such a firm and unyielding conviction on something; even the time that she declared that she wanted to be a ninja paled in comparison to this. In the back of his mind Katshuito mused that Rei had, just like grandfather had said she would, started to fall for Naruto and would do anything to help him. Looking back and forth between the two young adults for a moment Katshuito thought over the options available to help the situation before he came to a decision. Narrowing his eyes just a tad Katshuito said, "It's a good thing that you're willing to give your all to correct this mistake of yours Rei. Because you see Rei, once we've done what we need to do; there's no going back."

* * *

It was morning and Rei was in the bathtub taking a very thorough bath. As she bathed Rei thought about what had happened and what was about to happen. Last week after the changes to Naruto's seal were revealed to the Higurashi siblings Katshuito took control of Naruto's sealing 'operation'. Katshuito told Naruto and Rei upfront that due to the seriousness of the situation they would use the strongest seals that they could use. After that declaration Katshuito and Rei had spent most of the morning looking up the various seals available for the job with Naruto helping out by staying out of the way and meditating to keep calm.

After a few hours of research the siblings had devised a set of seals to be used to take care of Naruto's problem. First Rei had applied a seal known as Four Heavenly Guardians Twenty-eight Mansions directly around the original seal. The FHGTM seal acted as a buffer keeping the new charka generated by the purifying process of the modified old seal from freely mixing with Naruto's natural chakra. As soon as the FHGTM seal was set Rei had added another seal, this time the Twelve Signs Wind Zodiac seal, directly on top of the seal she had just created. By itself the Twelve Signs Wind Zodiac seal made sure that the chakra generated by the original seal was elementally aligned with Naruto's natural chakra and the Twelve Signs Wind Zodiac seal greatly strengthened the FHGTM seal. Finally to help Naruto control his new seal and to help protect the seal Rei had given Naruto one final seal: Karma of the Six Bardos.

The last seal that Rei gave Naruto last week was different then the other two seals. Instead of being placed on or next to the seal on Naruto's stomach, the Karma of the Six Bardos seal had been place on the back of both of Naruto's hands. Karma of the Six Bardos was powerful seal which prevented anyone from tampering with other seals or adding more seals to a person without the person's permission. Also, this seal strengthened the seals that were on a person. It wasn't used very often because the seal was both very tiring to make and it also required that a person have several powerful seals already on their body. In fact, Rei had needed to have Katshuito created the seal on Naruto's other hand due to chakra exhaustion after she had placed the first one of the Karma of the Six Bardos on Naruto.

Getting out of the bathtub Rei dried herself off and with a towel wrapped around her exited the bathroom. Instead of going to her bedroom to change Rei headed outside towards a small freestanding building in the Higurashi family compound and shrine complex. Upon reaching the building Rei opened the door and entered the dimly lit room. There were no windows in the room, only two standing torches and the dull glow of some glyphs arranged in a circle on the floor. Her eyes scanning the dim light of the room, Rei saw the shape of a person sitting in a lotus position between the two torches. Letting the towel fall to the floor, Rei walked into the circle and sat down in the lotus position with her bare back touching Naruto's.

Rei's cheeks started to get a rosy hue because, even though she couldn't really see him, Rei knew that Naruto was sitting back to back with her in the nude. It had been decided last week that, in order to have a failsafe on the new seals, an old sealing ritual was to be preformed. This ritual had been created over three-hundred years ago and what it did was it made sure that one very powerful person (Naruto) couldn't access a predetermined percentage of their power without the approval of a second person (Rei). Both Naruto and Rei were nude because any adornment or covering, even something as small as an earring, could potentially cause catastrophic effects with the ritual. Considering the fact that they were sealing a piece Naruto's chakra network into Rei so that she could control the output of chakra that Naruto got from the Kyuubi seal, messing up the ritual was not something to be desired. Both Naruto and Rei were willing to put up with a little embarrassment if it meant getting the job done and getting this job done correctly. Besides, between the poor lighting and the fact that they were back to back it wasn't like either of them would actually_see_ something.

Rei, after calming her breathing down, began to slowly chant the mantras that made the ritual work. This ritual took several hours to complete and a single mistake could be deadly for the both of them. Sarutobi who had been notified, and who had given his grudging approval, about this ritual had given Rei the week off so that she could memorize the lines that she needed to say. Due to the fact that she had a natural knack for these sorts of subjects Rei had been able to fully memorize the mantras to her and Naruto's satisfaction just as her brother finished creating the massive seal that was being used.

As the hours passed on the glyphs on the floor, which had been absorbing Naruto and Rei's chakra, started slowly glow brighter and brighter. Naruto, who was in a deep meditative state, gradually felt the effects of the ritual start to develop. Slowly a bit of charka in Naruto's hands was drawn out leaving a void behind in the chakra's place. A few minutes later there was an itching sensation that developed in Naruto's hands right where the void was. After about an hour of that itching sensation Naruto's hands stopped itching and felt almost normal again. Finally the ritual was finished twelve hours after it started.

The visible proof that the ritual had been successful was that both Naruto and Rei were sporting seals that looked like their gender's half of the yin-yang symbol on the back of their hands. Also, there was a purple script that gave the outline of the half of the symbols that each of them was missing. For Naruto his seal was a little more complicated as it was surrounded by the fragmented circle of the Karma of the Six Bardos seal. Both Naruto and Rei could feel the connection between the two of them created by ritual. Naruto could now use up to the equivalent of one tail of chakra on his own from the seal but he couldn't go any higher expect by Rei giving him the okay. Also Rei, if she though it was a good idea, could prevent Naruto from using the chakra generated by the seal.

Naruto, who was still sitting back to back with Rei, said, "Thank you Rei for doing this. You are the only person in the world that I would trust enough to have this kind of power over me."

Rei felt her heart start to speed up when Naruto told her how much he trusted her. In her elegant voice Rei replied, "I'm honored that you place so much trust in me Naruto." Slowly getting to her feet Rei started walking out of the circle. When she reached where her towel lay Rei picked up the towel and wrapped it around her again. Naruto waited until he heard the sound of the door opening and closing before he got up. After Naruto changed into his own clothes that were in a pile on the ground he left the room to go home.

* * *

In his office Sarutobi was trying to get the paperwork for the upcoming Chunin exams filled out. Trying being the important word because Sarutobi's mind kept wandering back to what was going on today with two of his genin. Sarutobi had been very worried when he received Naruto and Rei's report about the changes in the Yondaime's seal. Fortunately for 'The Professor's' heart, the new seals had already been added to Naruto and they were working beautifully. After seeing seals that had been placed on Naruto and hearing what it was that they did Sarutobi was wishing that he had asked the Higurashi clan to examine the Yondaime's seal years ago.

Moving beyond old regrets and should haves, Sarutobi gave up on his paperwork for a moment and he thought about what Naruto and Rei were doing today. The Feng Shui Fusion ritual was a very old and very powerful ritual. However it was an almost completely unknown ritual that was only preserved by the Higurashi family. In order to get his approval for the ritual to be done Sarutobi had been given a detailed copy of what the ritual did. Sarutobi, knowing that he currently wouldn't be able to complete his paperwork, calmly moved the official papers off to the side of his desk.

Taking a deep breath Sarutobi then opened on of his desk drawers and picked up the copy that he had been given that detailed the Feng Shui Fusion ritual. Carefully rereading the text on the paper Sarutobi mused on the properties of the Feng Shui Fusion. Since the ritual prevented Naruto from using a portion of his power without Rei's approval, it gave the side benefit of helping Naruto out politically. Even Naruto's enemies on the council, and there was still a sizable minority of those on the council, wouldn't be able to touch Naruto should it be revealed that his power was limited by Rei. Of course anyone trying to use Rei against Naruto would be in for a nasty surprise because the seal of the Feng Shui Fusion ritual allowed Rei to mentally give Naruto access to his powers. Usually, or so the text claimed, the controller used a verbal command to unlock the other person's powers but all it really took was the mental command. Finally, the ritual seal was able to notify Naruto and Rei through a slight warming sensation that the other person was in danger.

Putting the pages back in his desk, Sarutobi let out a sigh and reached for his pipe. Taking a few puffs of his pipe to relax himself, Sarutobi turned to look at the photo of Minato Namikaze that was hanging in his office. Looking at the photo like it was an old friend Sarutobi said, "You would be proud of your son Minato. Naruto has grown up into a wonderful young boy even if he has had to face a great deal of hostility from the more obstinate people of the village. I can only hope that you can forgive me for not being able to make the people of this village see more clearly what a wonderful son you have. However, where I have failed I do believe that Naruto will himself one day succeed. I hope that Chouza allows Naruto and his team to enter the exams next month as I am sure they are all ready to become Chunin. If all goes well in two months time I will finally be able to reveal to Naruto and the majority of the village that he is your son."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I've got nothing crazy to say here; just remember that I don't own Naruto.

Iruka was currently standing over a cooking pot of soup in his kitchen trying desperately to follow the instructions in the cookbook that was on the counter. Over the past few weeks Iruka had found that he had developed a taste for a particular soup that was served at one of the better off restaurants in town. Not wanting the pay the outrageous prices that the restaurant charged for its meals Iruka had bought a cookbook containing several of the meals that were served at the restaurant. As Iruka, who was a fairly decent cook, struggled with preparing the soup he started to realize just why the restaurant charged such high prices. However Iruka wasn't about to let the difficulty of the task get to him as he really wanted this meal to be enjoyable because tonight was his and Naruto's semi-weekly dinner get-together.

After half an hour of hard work over the stove Iruka managed to finish cooking the soup. Iruka carried the soup pot into his dinning room and put the pot on the center of the dinner table that Naruto had already set for dinner. Naruto was currently sitting on the floor of Iruka's dinning room playing a game of go fish with Gamakichi when Iruka walked in with dinner. Saying goodbye to Gamakichi, Naruto got up off the floor and picked up the playing cards as his orange amphibian friend puffed away in a small cloud of smoke. Sniffing the air like a dog or a fox Naruto said with a bright smile, "Wow Iruka. That soup sure smells delicious!"

The sight of Naruto being so care free put a smile on Iruka's face and caused him to chuckle a bit as he removed his hands from the soup pot. Motioning for Naruto to come to the table as he sat down himself Iruka said, "dinner time Naruto." On hearing that dinner was served Naruto quickly walked over to his chair and sat down. After thanks for the meal was said Naruto and Iruka mostly ate in silence. The surrogate brothers always enjoyed the comfortable silence as they ate the main portion of their meal; it gave them a sense of family that they both longed for and had found in each other. About 10 minutes after grace was said Iruka started the conversation, "So Naruto, what happened to you today?"

Naruto took a second to organize his thoughts by drinking from his glass of water. He then set his half-empty glass down on the table and said, "Today went fairly well. My team didn't have a mission today because Chouza had to attend a meeting. Instead Iori, Rei, and I did our group training exercises while we waited for Chouza to get out of his meeting. Around 3 o'clock Chouza showed up and told us to take the rest of the day off so I went and played with Konohamaru in the park with his friends."

Naruto then paused for a moment as if he was struggling with something. Before Iruka could as Naruto what was wrong Naruto said, "There's something else brother. When Chouza showed up today at three he gave me and my teammates these permission forms for the Chunin exams. Apparently Chouza believes that Iori, Rei, and I are ready to take the exams. I want to go and take the exam but I also want your opinion. Do you think that I am ready Iruka or do you think that I should wait until the next opportunity to try out for the exams?"

Iruka's very first instinct when he heard Naruto's question was to say that Naruto should wait. However Iruka just closed his eyes and thought about what he knew about Naruto's skills along with Team Chouza's skills. Opening his eyes, Iruka gave Naruto a soft and caring look before saying, "That's a tough call Naruto. Personally I think that the minimum requirement for the Chunin exam, which is only completing 8 missions regardless of rank, is far too lax. The Chunin exams are strenuous and deadly; testing every aspect of being a ninja in a variety of underhanded and direct ways over a series of tasks. A person is never completely the same after taking the Chunin exam for the first time as they were before; no matter what is done a person will be changed by the experience. Because Konoha is currently hosting the exams it is to be expected that the ninja teams from the other villages will be the best ninja that can be sent."

Iruka then reached across the table and firmly grasped Naruto's hand. Looking directly into Naruto's eyes Iruka said, "The Chunin exams are an extremely serious matter Naruto. That seriousness is something that I wish Kurenai, Asuma, and Kakashi would meditate more on before they had nominated their teams to take the exam. Despite what those three jonin believe, I don't believe that rookies have any place at the Chunin exams. However, when it comes to the idea of your team entering the exams Naruto I find myself conflicted by emotions. Team Chouza has managed in six months to successfully complete 4 C rank missions and 52 D rank missions; a record that seems more appropriate for a seasoned genin team like Team Gai then for a rookie team. Also Naruto, your team has displayed a level of professionalism that definitely is more then what a good portion of the new Chunin teams show. I believe Naruto that you and your team have a fair shot at becoming Chunins if you decide to take the exam. But promise me Naruto that you won't take the exam unless you yourself are absolutely sure that you have what it takes to pass the exam."

* * *

In the morning Naruto, Rei, and Iori all met together in their usual training field because they had all decided beforehand that none of them would try to take the exams if one of them felt they shouldn't take the exam. After all, as teammates they each could see the failings in each other that they themselves might not be able to see. Since they all showed up by the appointed time, the trio headed off to the Ninja Academy where the tests were to be held. When Team Chouza arrived at the Academy they quietly headed up the stairs completely bypassing the second floor altogether.

As Team Chouza was walking up the stairs they noted that another team was walking behind them about five steeps on the stairs but Team Chouza didn't give the other team too much thought. After all, with the number of teams that would be participating in the Chunin Exams it would be egotistical to think that they could walk all the way to the exam area without encountering another team. Besides, as a casual glance while they were rounding a corner proved, the team behind them was a team of leaf ninjas so Team Chouza didn't have to worry about being stabbed in the back. At least, in this stage of the game they didn't have to worry about someone stabbing them in the back.

When the trio and the team behind them reached the room that the exam was to be held in, the two teams were greeted by Chouza and Guy. Before Guy could say something Chouza hurriedly said, "Hello my students and Team Guy to the Chunin Exams. It is a good thing for your teammates that you all showed up because the Chunin Exams can only be taken by complete teams of three. If one member of your team had not shown up then it would have been up to me and Guy here keep that team from entering. Since both of the teams hear have all of their members you all may enter the waiting room. Just remember that you all represent Konoha in this exam; make sure that you do your best and don't let us down." Team Guy then very quickly hurried into the waiting room in order to avoid hearing Guy speak. Chouza, not wanting to subject his students to Guy's unique personality just yet, motioned for the trio to head in as he desperately tried to keep Guy from talking.

Naruto just barely managed to close the door behind him in time to muffle the sound of Guy's voice. Team Chouza then glanced about the room looking for a place that they could stand and wait out of the eyes of the other ninjas. After a few seconds of searching Rei subtly pointed out a spot along one of the walls that would be a good spot for them to wait at. Once the trio got to the spot that Rei had found they calmly stood there and waited. Silently Naruto, Iori, and Rei watched the goings on of their fellow genin without drawing attention to themselves from any of the other teams.

Since Naruto, due to the Ranseigan, was the most suited member of the trio for quietly gaining information on their competitors he was currently taking a careful look at the various genin assembled. Each time Naruto shifted his point of view he made sure that his new viewpoint allowed him to get an unblocked and detailed view of each individual genin. After he was able to get a detailed view of all of the genin in the room Naruto disengaged the Ranseigan and leaned back against the wall. His old classmates were something of a sentimental note to Naruto but he didn't show any outward sign that he had paid any extra attention to them. Besides, most of his old classmates were way too lax with how they were treating the exam and that made Naruto want to smack his head. One thing that Iruka had drilled into Naruto's head was that there was a time for fun and a time to work. The Chunin exam, for example, was definitely a time to work in Naruto's book.

Closing his eyelids behind his sunglasses for a moment Naruto softly said, "There are close to 100 different genin teams in this room. About one third of all the genin teams are from Konoha which is to be expected since the village is currently hosting the exams. Most of the teams are comprised of ninjas that are about 1-3 years older then us with a sizable majority being even older then that. About 70 percent of the genin in this room bare the crest of a noted ninja clan with about a third of those clans being medium to big name clans. For bloodline limits we had two Hyugas, one Uchiha who's over confident attitude suggests the activation of the Sharingan, one member of the Rokubungi clan and three members of the Aino clan. Both the Aino and the Rokubungi clans are from other villages. The Rokubungi bloodline limit grants the clan the ability to control their killing intent and focus it in on a select group of people. Some of the most infamous of the Rokubungi clan have been noted to have actually paralyzed an enemy's lungs with their killing intent. With the Aino clan, a person has to watch out because they are able to manipulate the harmonics of their voices and their pheromone production making them experts in seduction tactics."

Iori and Rei both firmly nodded their heads once showing that they understood what Naruto had just told them. Neither of them had heard of those two clans but they trusted that Naruto, being a bit of an expert on bloodlines and clans with bloodlines, had told them the truth. Rei, who was standing on Naruto's right, gently and discreetly moved her hand so that she was holding Naruto's hand. A few minutes after Rei grabbed Naruto's hand the trio watched as the other rookie teams and an unknown Konoha genin had a confrontation with the Sound team. Naruto felt Rei gently but firmly squeeze his hand causing Naruto to turn his head to look at Rei. It was quite obvious to Naruto that Rei was worried about how he would take is old classmates being attacked. However Naruto simply gave Rei a soft smile which showed that he wouldn't do anything stupid. After all, there were several examiners around to make sure that nothing too dangerous happened at this point in the exam. Furthermore, if their fellow rookies weren't able to handle a minor scuffle how could they be ready to be chunin?

Just as Naruto expected, a chunin very quickly body flickered over the sound incident and nipped the problem before a full fledge fight broke out. Then when that little incident was settled a man wearing a bandana and a Jonin vest walked into the room and yelled out. "Alright you punks my name is Ibiki and I will say this now; any fighting on your parts that is not a sanctioned part of the Chunin Exams will get you kicked out of the exam no if, ands, or buts. Now you will all come in the room behind me and sit at the seats that you are assigned by my assistant in that room. You will then pay attention in your seats while I explain how the first part of the Chunin Exam will be given. If someone interrupts me they and their team will be immediately disqualified." Ibiki then turned around and went in the other room followed closely by the various genin in the waiting room.

Once all the genin seated Ibiki went over the rules of the first exam. Team Chouza instantly picked up on the fact that the test wasn't exactly what it seemed to be when Ibiki mentioned that anyone caught cheating would lose 2 points. Their suspicions were confirmed when they received their tests and were confronted by questions that no one except a genius or a bookworm could possibly answer. Naruto, who was praising himself for adding sunglasses to his look, activated his Ranseigan and got the answers off of a disguised chunin. Iori and Rei had both simply waited for the chunin near them to finish writing the answers on the test and then they switched tests with the chunin.

Forty-five minutes after the exam started Ibiki said, "It seems that we have a lot of very intelligent ninjas here; or some very good cheaters." At the mention of the word 'cheat' about half the genin in the room nervously gulped. Pleased that he had created such a fearful atmosphere Ibiki gave a small sadistic smirk and said, "Before I give you this last question I'm going to give you all a choice. You can either choose to get up now and walk out that door or you can stay here and take the last question. HOWEVER, if even ONE member of your team fails to get the question correct all the team members will be permanently band from taking the Chunin exams. For those of you who think that I can't possibly have that kind of power think again. On my desk is a decree that all the Kages have signed giving me the power to permanently ban those who fail; no Kage wants a weak ninja under their command."

There were almost 180 genin who had made it through the first 9 questions; five minutes after Ibiki spoke there were only 60 genin left in the room. Most of the remaining genin were heavily sweating as the tension started to build up but they were all by this point willing to see everything through. Only those genin who had already taken the Chunin Exams once before and Team Chouza remained completely calm. Rei and Iori weren't worried at all because Naruto had, using coded sign language, relayed the fact that no such document was on Ibiki's desk. Soon enough Ibiki was satisfied with the genin's resolve and he said, "Congratulations on passing the first part of the exam everybody."

Instantly a loud deafening 'WHAT' was uttered by almost all of the genin and then the room dissolved into almost mindless chatter. This mindless chatter really started to bug Naruto and, seeing that the Chunin overseers were all trying to regain their hearing, Naruto decided to do something about the situation. Calmly getting up on his desk Naruto put his fingers to his mouth and let out a loud whistle. All the genin and most of the chunin in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at Naruto. His face not showing any sign of the nervousness he was feeling Naruto firmly said, "Are you all Shinobi or civilians? Look underneath the underneath and realize what's going on here: we're testing to become chunins. This test was never about if we knew the ridiculous answers on the paper; it was about us showing that we could gain the information. Ibiki Morino didn't have the power to keep us from taking the exam as no Kage would ever honor or even sign such a document. His question was merely to see who was willing to face uncertainty for if a person doesn't have the courage to do what they need to do then they will never succeed even if they are the most skilled and gifted person in the world."

Naruto then got down off of his chair and sat back down. Ibiki gave Naruto a small nod of recognition before Ibiki said, "The runt is right. I would say more but everything that I had to say you have already heard. Just remember to keep your wits about you and you will all have a reasonable chance at becoming Chunin." Everyone's attention was however was immediately diverted to the side window where Anko was making her entrance.

* * *

Naruto, Rei, and Iori were all patiently waiting by their assigned gate for the second test to start. The second test was rather simple: collect a complete pair of scrolls by any means necessary and then get to the tower in center of the area within 5 days. Rei was given the team's Earth Scroll and she was hiding it in one of her seal scrolls. Just like Anko had told everyone at the group briefing, the gate in front of the trio opened up exactly on the hour. The trio then got up off ground and calmly walked into the Forest of Death.

Once all three of them were about 30 feet into the Forest Rei stopped walking and said, "Should we start on the plan now?" Both of Rei's teammates turned around and after a moment to think nodded their heads. After Rei got Naruto and Iori's okay she brought her thumb to her mouth and bit down till she drew blood. Rei then brought her hands together, quickly made the necessary handsigns, and then placed her hand with the bleeding thumb on the ground saying, "Summoning Jutsu." A small raven appeared as the smoke from Rei's jutsu dissipated. Getting down on her haunches Rei then said to her summon, "Hello Lenore the boys' and I need your help. We're in the middle of an important test where we have to collect a pair of scrolls from an opposing team within 5 days. If it wouldn't be too much trouble, would you please be so kind as to be our eyes and locate a team; preferably a team with a Heaven Scroll?"

Lenore brought her wing to her beak and then said in a mischievous tone, "I don't know Rei. After all, you could always just have Naruto use his Ranseigan to look for another team. Are you really sure you need my help or is it that you just want your _boyfriend _to spend more time looking at you?" Iori let out a chuckle as Rei's face showed her shock and Lenore's comment while Naruto looked at the ground. Removing her wing from her beak Lenore then fluttered up to Rei's shoulder and said, "You can be too easy at times Rei. Don't worry though, I'll find a team that has what you three are looking for so you all should just find a spot to wait for now." Before Lenore flew off into the forest she turned her head to Naruto and said, "Oh Naruto, can you remind Gamakichi the next time that you summon him that he still owes me 1000 ryo?"

Naruto waited until Lenore had disappeared in the surrounding forest and then he said, "I have an idea of where we should go. If I remember correctly from when Chouza was reviewing maps of the terrain around Konoha with us a month ago there should be several small caves about three miles northeast of here. From what I remember those caves are supposed to be very small and damp but they are almost impossible to find. We'll be able to find those caves because there was a note on that map Chouza showed us about how the caves are among the roots of a very old dead oak. Does this sound like a plan to you two?" Rei and Iori both nodded their heads and asked Naruto to lead them to the caves.

It took the trio about an hour to go and find the caves that Naruto was leading them towards. While they could have traveled a lot faster, the trio was unwilling to move any faster while traveling through such thick growth in hostile territory. The Forest of Death had a far greater concentration of vines, bushes, and moss then the rest of the forest around Konoha put together. Naruto had used the Ranseigan to look about 5 seconds into the future so he could have an early warning. Luckily for Naruto, Rei, and Iori they were able to make it to the caves without incident. Once they were at the caves the trio promptly set about turning the caves into a camp.

* * *

Naruto currently was at a small clearing in the forest by the river about 600 ft from the camp. Rei and Iori were at the cave getting it prepared to be a camp and standing watch respectively. This had left Naruto with the duty of getting water and dinner for the trio. Given his surroundings Naruto had decided that fish was on the menu tonight. Since he did not want to get his clothes and equipment all wet Naruto was in the river with just his boxers and a kunai. Swimming up to a fish Naruto grabbed the fish, stabbed it, and threw it towards the surface. Naruto quickly surfaced from the lake and gave his head a shake. Just as Naruto was about to head over to hide the fish his eyes caught a flash of movement.

Turning his head Naruto was completely shocked to see a nude Rei walking slowly towards him in the river like a Siren. Gently brushing a few strains of loose hair back into place as she walked Rei said in a sensuous voice, "Hello there. Sorry for dropping in like this on you but I finished my tasks back at the base and I decided to come and help you." Rei then looked down a bit, walked close enough to Naruto so that she was within arms length of him, and then said, "Yes I think that I can 'help' you right now don't you think?"

Naruto gently embraced Rei with his hand and slowly started to bring her closer to him. When Rei was only inches away from him Naruto rapidly twisted Rei's wrist around yanking her back to his chest so that her hand that wasn't being held was immobilized between their bodies. Naruto brought his other hand that was holding the kunai to the girl's throat. His tongue practically dripping with venom Naruto whispered into the bound girl's left ear, "Where are you teammates Aino? You will drop your illusion and tell me what I asked for or I will slit your throat and leave your carcass for the beasts."

Fearing for her life, the girl in Naruto's grasp dropped her illusion revealing her long blond hair. In a scared and desperate attempt to escape the girl said, "Y-you w-wouldn't real-"

Her question was cut off by Naruto pressing the edge of his kunai hard enough to just faintly draw blood. "Don't," Naruto said in a hardened and furious voice, "don't you dare try your witch's voice again on me Aino. Oh yes, I know all about the Aino bloodline so don't think your tricks will work. 'Of Love' indeed, like any of your cheep kind could ever know anything about love." Naruto then heard the sounds of more movement among the trees and so he activated his Ranseigan ready to fight if the movement he had heard was from his captive's teammates.

Although Naruto couldn't see it, the girl he was holding captive was very much afraid. It supposed to be a simple seduction; something that she had done hundreds of times in her village. All she needed to do was get close to the lone genin using a family jutsu that made her look like the woman that he desired, bed the fool, and then sit back and watch as he spilt the information that she needed to complete this exam. How could it be that out of all the males she could have encountered it had to be the one male who knew about her family's bloodline?

Rei and Iori emerged from the tree line to see Naruto standing in the shallow part of the river with a naked girl as his captive. As the two got closer to Naruto and his captive Rei said, "What's going on Naruto? We just got a report from Lenore about ten minutes ago that there are two genin about half a mile upstream from here."

Naruto then said "I was fishing for trout but instead I caught this tramp. Iori, will you please be a friend and go over by that granite rock where my clothes are and get out my ninja wire? Judging by how my captive suddenly became so tense it's likely that those two genin Lenore spotted are the Aino's teammates. We can offer a strait trade to her teammates; her for their scroll. The wire that I want you to get Iori is flammable so we can use that as insurance that our demands are met." Just as Naruto finished talking Iori walked over with the spool of wire in his hands. Both boys then quickly bound Naruto's captive. After Naruto's would be seductress was firmly bound, Naruto went over and got dressed. Rei had assumed lookout duty while the captive was being bound and made sure that she didn't look at where Naruto was until he was fully dressed.

* * *

In the evening the trio, now having a complete set of scrolls, was settling down in their cave/camp for the night. They had all unanimously agreed that it would be safer for them to bunker down for the night instead of trying to push ahead and make it to the tower. Iori currently had the first watch and he had hidden himself in the branches of a tree opposite of the hidden cave entrance. Naruto and Rei were currently lying side by side in the snug cave preparing to get some sleep.

Rei turned to her left so that she was facing Naruto and she said, "What happened back there at the river Naruto? It's not like you to be so vicious to someone, even an enemy, like you were behaving back there."

Naruto turned to meet Rei's eyes and he replied, "You're right Rei I usually don't act like that at all. It's just that when she appeared, she had made herself look like you. Please don't take offense or think any less of me, but at the time there was a part of me that was wishing it was actually you there. True the Aino's bloodline had a part of it however there really was a part of me that wanted that scenario to be true. If it wasn't for the fact that I know that you're not that kind of girl I would have been caught."

As she looked into Naruto's eyes Rei could see the pain and humiliation that Naruto was feeling reflected into his eyes. Bringing her right hand gently to Naruto cheek Rei said, "It's all right Naruto you don't have to be ashamed of how you acted. Have you ever encountered a member of the Aino clan before? Never before this incident you haven't encountered a member of that clan at all so how could you know how you would act? Naruto you may have read about that clan in your clan books but as you know reading about something and experiencing it are two totally different things."

Rei then paused for a minute so she could lean in a little closer to Naruto before she continued to speak. "The important think Naruto is that you were able to recognize what was happening and escape the situation. Let go of your anger towards yourself over the situation as it could happen to anybody. I don't think any less of you because of this incident and in a way I'm flattered. If you remember our captive did unintentionally reveal that her illusion made her look like the woman that a man wanted." Rei stopped for a moment as the faint light in the cave allowed her to see Naruto's reddening cheeks.

Moving even closer to Naruto Rei gave him a small peck on the cheek and then said in a nervous but firm tone, "I don't mind that you wanted me Naruto. There is nothing wrong with having thoughts of that nature as long as a person keeps them in check and you did. As you know in the academy I was given the name of 'the ice maiden' by my classmates because I kept my emotions in check most of the time. However, just because I kept my emotions in check it never meant that my emotions weren't there. When I joined you and Iori on this team I was very satisfied and relieved to be with you two. At first it was just because I was away from my annoying admirers but I slowly began to enjoy being on the team just to be with you. What I'm trying to get at Naruto is that, considering what we know about that jutsu, I prefer that it was my image you saw rather then some other girl."

Naruto was completely shocked but what he had heard Rei admit. He had honestly expecting Rei to be angry and upset at him, not embarrassed and content. Thinking over what Rei had said and what he knew for a moment Naruto said, "What do we do Rei? How does this affect us as friends and teammates? I can't see how things can be exactly the same between us after what we've both just said."

Rei lowered her head so that it was resting on Naruto's shoulder and then she said softly, "Your right Naruto this does change things between us; how I don't know as well. The only solution that I can think of is that we table this discussion for now and concentrate on completing the exam. Once we complete the exam we can worry about our situation but for now we need to focus. Now let's get some sleep before the watch change." Naruto agreed with Rei and gently laid back down on the floor with Rei resting her head on his shoulder undisturbed.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: Any who is stupid enough to think that I actually own Naruto shall be sent one free copy of Gai's Your Youth and You videos and be forced to watch it!

Five days after the start of the second part of the Chunin Exam all of the genin who had passed were gathering in a large hall in the tower. Sarutobi was standing in front of the assembled genin in his full ceremonial Hokage robes. To Sarutobi's right Anko Mitsurashi stood while Hayate Gekkou stood to Sarutobi's left. The assembled genin watch with cautious curiosity as Sarutobi took his pipe out of his mouth and started to speak. "I must admit that it is surprising to see so many genin making it to this stage in the exams. Obviously you are all a credit to your village, to your clans, to your teachers, and to yourselves."

Sarutobi's words caused all of the genins' outlooks, including the foreign ones, to be lifted a bit. However Sarutobi's next words promptly took the wind out of most of the genins' sails. "Unfortunately for you all, at least half of you will not be permitted to go on to the third round of the exams. As you may or may not be aware, the final portion of the Chunin Exam is always held in front of an audience which contains most of the daimyos and many other potential employers. This serves a two-fold purpose of allowing us to see that a genin is sufficiently advance in certain areas and it allows the balance of power to be maintained between the villages." On seeing the blank looks on most of the genins' faces Sarutobi sighed and said, "Most of you are all too young to remember but several years ago many of the various ninja villages were at war with each other. It was decided at the end of the last ninja war that the villages would regularly show their power in a regulated manor allowing each village to see how they stood compared to each other. Almost instantly these contests were incorporated into the various villages' chunin exams forming the Chunin Exam as you all know it today."

Hearing that secondary purpose of the Chunin Exams caused many genin to grumble. Those grumbling genin, most of whom were the so called 'Rookie 9' as Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma's teams referred to themselves as, did not like the idea of doing something just so their village could have bragging rights. The Sound and Sand genin, being the only non leaf ninjas left in the exams, were not exactly thrilled at the idea that Konoha would have such a large showing to so many important people; except for Gaara who couldn't care less about such matters. Finally the more experienced Konoha genin teams and Team Chouza were calmly waiting for someone to explain what the final round of the exam would be.

Sarutobi was about to continue explaining things when Hayate coughed and said, "If you do not mind Lord Hokage, I will explain what the genin will have to do." After getting a nod of approval Hayate said calmly, "As you have heard only half of you will be able to go on to the final portion of the exams. Who goes and who doesn't will be decided by one-on-one matches that will be started immediately. In these matches there will be no limitations and the match will only end at the death, incapacitation, or forfeiture of one combatant. If by some chance it becomes obvious that there is no way that one combatant could possibly hope to win their match I shall steep in so that there is no unnecessary bloodshed. Please note that from now on you will strictly be judged on a personal basis; that is you no longer will be penalized due to your teammates' actions. Therefore, if anyone wishes to drop out of the exams for whatever reason they may do so now."

None of the genin assembled took Hayate up on the offer to leave the exam. Kabuto, to the silent surprise of his teammates, did not drop out as was his usual manner. The reason why the silver haired spy had stayed was because he had been unable to gather the bare minimum amount of data on Team Chouza that he needed to complete his spy mission. Since all people who dropped out at this point in time were forbidden to watch the rest of the matches Kabuto was forced by necessity to go forward.

Upon seeing that no one was going to leave Hayate said, "Alright then if everyone will turn their attention to my right you all will be able to see a large monitor. The combatants for each match will be randomly chosen and then displayed on the monitor. Everyone else will then proceed up to the viewing ledges on the second floor so that the combatants may have the arena to themselves." All of the genins' eyes were on the monitor as they watched it suddenly come to life. Names were quickly shuffled on the screen until the monitor read Sasuke Uchiha vs. Rock Lee. Hayate then said, "Now that the combatants have been chosen will all the other genin please go upstairs."

As the genin were walking up the stairs, Iori's attention was caught by hearing two girls from Naruto's class talking about how Lee didn't stand a chance against 'their' Sasuke. Upon hearing several other genin from the so called 'Rookie 9' agree that Sasuke had the fight in the bag Iori decided to split from Naruto and Rei so he could stay closer to the Rookie 9. Iori did this so that he could better observe Naruto's old classmates and how they reacted if the prized Uchiha were to loose. Considering that Sasuke was apparently suffering a case of mild chakra exhaustion as far as Iori could tell and that Lee was completely fresh; Iori was figuratively placing his money on Lee wining the match. Of course, Iori was not about to underestimate Sasuke and Iori was open to the idea that Sasuke would in fact prove to be victorious.

Down in the Arena Sasuke and Lee were getting ready to fight. Although Sasuke would normally just write Lee off as another loser like Naruto used to be before the whiskered boy managed to make it to the middle of the class, Sasuke's current condition had made it so that he had to be more careful. The curse seal on Sasuke's neck that he had gotten from Orochimaru was nagging at Sasuke's mind urging him to use it. However Sasuke resisted its call due to the fact that Kakashi had told him that Kakashi would step in and stop the match if Sasuke started to use the curse mark. Unfortunately for Sasuke this meant that he had to be careful about the amount of chakra he used at any time during the match so that the seal wasn't activated. Even with this handicap Sasuke was completely sure of his victory; he was an avenger after all and an Uchiha.

On the other hand Rock Lee was calmly standing in a defensive position waiting for Hayate to start the match. As he waited Lee was very carefully observing Sasuke and analyzing Sasuke for weaknesses. While many people tended to dismiss Gai and Lee due to their unique personality traits, both master and apprentice were experts at reading an opponent's body language. Lee had seen the tell tale signs of Sasuke's current physical weakness and was completely baffled at Sasuke's smug confidence. Even Neji, who Lee knew like the back of his hand, wouldn't approach a fight in Sasuke's current condition with such reckless confidence. Although he was annoyed that such a worthy adversary like Sasuke had plainly dismissed him as a threat, Lee didn't let that annoyance show since Gai had taught Lee how to use other's overconfidence against them.

As soon as Hayate gave the word, both Lee and Sasuke rushed at each other. On his end Sasuke launch a standard punch strait at Lee planning on knocking the air out of the bow-cut boy. However, Lee saw Sasuke's move and ducked to the side while performing a leg sweep. Sasuke was surprised at the speed with which Lee recovered but had managed to jump and avoid the sweep. Landing on the ground in a crouch, Sasuke whipped around and sprung at Lee like a tiger. Once again Lee avoided Sasuke's attack and launched a counterstrike. This time however Sasuke was unable to avoid Lee's attack and was hit in the arm.

Up in the stands everyone was watching the match with at least some level of interest. Sakura and Ino, who were paying the most attention to the match, were loudly wondering why 'their' Sasuke hadn't finished the match yet. The girls' complaining was starting to get on Iori's nerves and so he said very gruffly after a few minutes, "What is with you girls? Your ninja not civilians so get with the program and learn to see what things really are and not what they appear to be. If you were acting like true ninjas you two would have realized that 'your' Uchiha is currently being schooled by his opponent."

Sakura and Ino quickly turned to look at each other and after a split second nodded their heads. They then turned about as one and yelled at Iori in unison, "GET SOME GLASSES LOOSER! THERE IS NO WAY THAT SASUKE CAN LOOSE TO A FREAK LIKE THAT!" The rest of the Rookie 9 were holding their ears in pain and were plainly embarrassed by the girls' actions. Tenten, who considered Lee to be like a little brother, had taken offense at Sakura and Ino's words. Temari and Kin were both torn between laughing at how ill trained Konoha's konoichis obviously were and wanting to kill the girls for being those girls that gave female ninjas everywhere such a bad reputation.

Iori knew that if he stayed closer to Sakura and Ino any longer he would probably slap them. This was something that Iori didn't want to do because he had been taught by his father not to hit girls. Sparing with a girl or even killing an attacking woman was acceptable allowed but women were never to be struck outside of those two conditions. Turning his back so he could start walking over to his teammates Iori said, "Grow up or get out of the shinobi business you two. Konoha has no need for airheads among its Ninja Corps." As Iori was walking towards his teammates his eyes drifted over to the ring and Iori watched in smug satisfaction as the Rookie of the Year was knocked out.

* * *

After Lee's upstart victory Shino was paired off against a sound genin by the name of Zaku. Shino very quickly ended the match by using his kikai bugs to clog up Zaku's wind cannons. Sadly for Zaku, the sound genin disregarded Shino's warning and ended up blowing his arms off. The next match after Shino and Zaku was Kiba verses Sakura. Once again the battle was no contest as Kiba sent Sakura into dreamland with one solid hit to the head.

All of the genin were now eagerly watching the monitor waiting for the next combatants to be chosen. When the monitor finally stopped scrambling the names everyone saw that the fourth match would be between Naruto and Kabuto. Quiet whispers broke out among most of the watching genin as Naruto and Kabuto calmly descended the stairs. Both boys however were ignoring the chatter going on above them and were instead focusing on the match at hand. Although each boy had different reasons, this match was extremely important for both of them.

As the boys stood facing each other Kabuto gave Naruto his disarming smile and said, "I must say Naruto that it is a pleasure to meet you in the ring. From what my sensei tells me you and your team are apparently the most skilled and experienced out of all the rookie teams that participated in this exam." Naruto's old classmates were surprised to hear Kabuto say that Naruto was on a rookie team as they all had assumed that he had been transferred to a team that had lost a member.

Bowing his head slightly Naruto said in his friendly manner, "Thank you for saying that Kabuto. Personally I'm interested in seeing how a medical ninja fights and how I'll fare against a medic." With the pleasantries dispensed with Naruto turned to face Hayate and said, "Will you please start the match? I'm sure that Kabuto here is just as eager as I am to see how this match will play out." After giving a quick glance over to Kabuto, Hayate started the match.

Kabuto started the match by leaping backwards a good 20 feet while quickly making handsigns. The instant he landed on the ground Kabuto let loose a large purple cloud of poison gas. Standing in a defensive position, Kabuto eyed the poison gas cloud warily wondering when Naruto would appear. Realizing what Naruto's plan most likely was, Kabuto jumped into the air and looked down at the ground he had just been standing on. Kabuto's actions were not uncalled for as Naruto quickly popped out of the ground and followed after Kabuto into the air. Naruto's fist and Kabuto's foot then collided forcing both boys to separate with Naruto doing a backflip to land on his feet on the ground and Kabuto bouncing off the wall to land on his feet as well.

Reaching into his side pouch Kabuto pulled out a dozen Senbon Needles and threw them at Naruto in a staggered pattern. Naruto quickly went through a series of handseals, slapped his hands onto the ground, and then a large wall of earth flipped up in front of Naruto. After using his Ranseigan to make sure that Kabuto wasn't about to throw any more Senbon for the next few seconds, Naruto created four shadow clones and sent them off to fight Kabuto. Giving his clones a five second head start, Naruto jumped over the wall he had created and rushed at Kabuto.

Kabuto on his end was busy fighting Naruto's Shadow Clones but Kabuto was having some difficulty. As the creators of the Shadow Clone technique Naruto's ancestors had worked the jutsu into the Uzu Sen Ken style of Taijutsu. With their flowing and spinning motions the Shadow Clones made Kabuto feel like he was in the middle of a collection of whirlpools. From the corner of his eye Kabuto saw Naruto approach and decided to take drastic measures. Jumping strait up so as to avoid the clones Kabuto used his second of freedom to form a chakra scalpel on his right hand. Coming down in a spinning motion Kabuto was able to use his chakra scalpel to cut and dispel the shadow clones.

Naruto quickly grabbed Joshua with his right hand and met Kabuto's chakra scalpel. Gideon was still in its scabbard because Naruto didn't want to reveal that he could effectively use both kodachi at the same time just yet. Besides, Kabuto was a fellow leaf ninja so Naruto figured it would be okay to have just a little bit of sportsmanship in the match. For the next minute both Naruto and Kabuto were locked in a sword duel with Kabuto on the defensive. Up above in the rafters everyone was watching with rapt attention anxious to see what would happen next in the most exciding match of the exam so far.

After a minute of constantly being on the defensive Kabuto called out, "I surrender!" As Naruto took a step back from Kabuto the silver haired boy disengaged his chakra scalpel and dropped to his knees panting heavily. Slowly shaking his head as he caught his breath Kabuto said, "You're too much Naruto. I just don't have the chakra reserves to continue fighting like this and the chakra scalpel is my best offensive technique. Seems like seven isn't my lucky number after all eh Naruto."

Quickly sheathing Joshua, Naruto got on his haunches and offered Kabuto a hand. "Here Kabuto, let me help you up. Do you need to see one of the doctors Kabuto or should I just help you up to the viewing area?" Naruto said this with deep concern in his voice and showing on his face.

Kabuto gratefully accepted Naruto's offered hand and said as he was getting up, "The viewing area's fine Naruto. I called the match when I did so that I wouldn't have to deal with chakra exhaustion. Besides, I so very much want to see the rest of the matches. There is the chance after all that I may be able to see something that will help me figure out what it is that I seem to lack to become a chunin." Naruto just nodded his head as he helped Kabuto up to the viewing levels.

* * *

In the next to matches Kabuto's teammates got to fight. Unfortunately for them they both lost but unlike Kabuto they did not make it out of their matches relatively unscathed. Misumi Tsurugi, who had the ability to contort his body any way he wanted, had ended up a human pincushion thanks to Tenten's expert marksmanship. Yoroi Akadou was even less fortunate due to the fact that his opponent was Gaara. Hayate hadn't realized soon enough what Gaara's attack plan was and had been unable to call the match soon enough to prevent Yoroi being killed by a Desert Funeral.

To Chouji's reluctance and dismay he had the next match and he had Neji as his opponent. At first Chouji didn't want to fight but Asuma quickly motivated Chouji to fight by promising a free barbecue dinner if Chouji won the match. The promise of barbecue had Chouji so eager to fight that Chouji completely ignored Neji's fate spiel. Ultimately Neji's speech proved to be pointless because Chouji ended up wining the match. Chouji's victory wasn't that surprising to Team Chouza who knew enough about the Akimichi techniques to know that the Meat Tank jutsu created a protective layer of fat all around the user. This fat, along with the spinning motion of the attack, had rendered Chouji temporarily imperious to the Juken allowing Chouji to flatten Neji.

Once the Huyga pancake was carted off to the emergency room Iori and Sai had to fight. Both boys had immediately started sizing each other up when they got to the arena floor. After a moment Sai spoke up and said, "At least I won't be facing a dickless wonder this time." Iori just raised an eyebrow at Sai's comment and was wondering if he had been insulted or not. However, before Iori could respond to the comment Hayate called the start of the match.

Iori wanted to finish his match quickly and so he ran towards Sai. Sai however started running backwards, quickly whipped out a scroll, and started furiously drawing on the scroll. Once he was done drawing on the scroll Sai made a handseal and sent four ink tigers to attack Iori. For a second Iori was shocked to see Sai's jutsu in action and was most cut by one of the tigers as a result of his shock.

Rolling on the ground to avoid the tiger claws Iori saw that Sai had also thrown several shuriken at him. Iori planted his arm on the floor while he was rolling to direct his momentum so that he was pole-vaulted into the air. Landing in a crouched position Iori said, "Alright, enough is enough." He then took a deep breath and when Iori exhailed he launched a great fireball at the incoming ink animations. Those animations quickly caught on fire and were destroyed.

Sai, who had been perched on the wall so he could observe what Iori would do, quickly went over his options. Continuing to use his ink attacks was pointless from what Sai could see. Unlike Sasuke who needed a few seconds to prepare a jutsu, Iori could perform fire jutsus almost instantly. This as Sai knew was a serious fault in his style that Iori had probably caught on to and would exploit. What made the whole situation worse for Sai was the fact that the ink justsus were the only jutsus that he currently knew besides the three basic ones from the academy and the Earth Release: Headhunter jutsu. Given the fact that Naruto had demonstrated the Headhunter jutsu, Sai was pretty sure that Iori would be able counter that jutsu.

Quickly making up his mind, Sai jumped down from his perch and created seven regular clones. Each Sai grabbed the tanto strapped on his back and drew the tanto as they landed on the ground. In response to Sai's move, Iori also drew his sword and got in a battle stance. Iori's kenjutsu stance, like his taijutsu style, was a family style and it was very different then any style that most ninjas in the room had seen. One of Iori's hands was firmly gripping the hilt of the sword while his other hand was holding the blade at the midway point.

While Iori's stance seemed strange to Sai and most of the other ninjas, any and all doubts about Iori's style were quickly and thoroughly destroyed. The unique style granted Iori an extreme amount of control over where his sword was. Also, Iori was able to use the pommel and the guard of his sword in an offensive manner. These extra attack points made things very difficult for Sai as he had only been trained to think of the blade and occasionally the point of a sword as points of attack. As the two boys fought on trading sword blows Sai said, "What is the name of this kenjutsu style?"

Iori gave Sai a smirk and said, "This is the Northern Imperial Kenjutsu style." Before continuing any further Iori attempted to sweep Sai's legs out. While Sai recovered Iori continued to talk, "Northern Imperial Kenjutsu is a companion art to my family's Lighting Kickboxing taijutsu." Spotting an opening, Iori was able to break Sai's guard and Iori quickly moved behind Sai. Bringing his sword over Sai's head and pressing the blade against Sai's throat Iori whispered, "As you can see these styles meld perfectly together." Hayate at that point called the match and declared Iori the winner.

* * *

The next match happened to be between Rei and Ino which pleased Rei greatly. Although she didn't show it on the outside, Rei had been very upset at how Ino and Sakura had acted earlier when Iori had pointed out that Sasuke had been losing. Back at the academy Rei had always been annoyed when the girls in her class acted in that manner. Now that she had several months of experience out in the field Rei had found that her tolerance for such frivolous acting to be even lower then it had been. As she was walking down the stairs Rei hopped that she would be able to at least correct one airhead's attitude today no matter what she needed to do to make the change.

Calmly staring at Ino, Rei brushed a stray hair back behind her ear and said in a calm tone, "Listen to me Yamanaka it is in your best interest to give up now. Are you prepared to give this fight your all and throw away your childish desires? Can you honestly visualize your or my death or are you expecting this to just be another spar between schoolgirls? Understand this and understand well, no mercy shall be shown in this fight between us. It doesn't matter that we're both Leaf Ninjas: If you wish it see the sun tomorrow you must strike me down." Rei then summoned her naginata from her bracelet and got in a battle stance.

Ino unconsciously gulped as she looked at the calm Rei poised to attack. At the instant that Hayate called the start of the match Rei leapt like a lioness towards Ino and Rei made a quick jab at Ino. The girls then got into a pattern of Rei slashing and stabbing at Ino while Ino on the other hand barely managed to avoid being wounded. Naruto, along with several other guys, was paying a great deal of attention to Rei as she attacked. Her every move seemed to accent her toned muscles and her noticeable charms. Combined with the flowing grace of her attacks it seemed more like Rei was performing an alluring dance rather then fighting.

This 'dance' abruptly ended when Rei grew tired of letting Ino doge. Making it look like a stroke of luck Rei slashed Ino's shirt off and at the same time gave Ino a shallow cut between her emerging breasts. Ino emmediatly fell to her knees and covered her chest with her arms to preserve her modesty and to put some pressure on the wound. Knowing that a final push at this point would likely make Ino realize her mistake, Rei started to speak in her hardest voice. "Look at you, on your knees before me not caring about the fact that your life is in my hands. Do you think that because I am a girl I might show you mercy now due to your plight? Think again Yamanka and realize this: Among civilians mercy is freely given, but among shinobi mercy is only something that the strong bestow at their choosing."

"Should something like this happen to you out in the field no one will stop and let you go. In fact, I wouldn't be too surprised if an enemy simply raped you after he disposed of your teammates. Do you think perhaps that your precious Uchiha will miraculously appear and defeat me or that enemy ninja for you? This is the real world not some fantasy story and as konoichi we deal solely in the real world." Rei then paused to pull her naginata back towards her with it lined up with Ino's throat. Continuing on Rei said, "Hopefully your ancestors will be able to enlighten you to these facts that you have never learned." Rei then jabbed with her naginata so that if it connected Ino would have been killed instantly.

Just before Rei's naginata impaled Ino's throat, Ino caught the polearm with a pair of crossed kunai. Ino then raised her head so that Rei could see the fire that was burning in Ino's eyes. Quickly jumping up and onto her feet, Ino rushed at Rei like a mad woman. Ignoring her modesty and ignoring the pain from the small shallow cuts Rei was expertly putting on her arms, Ino fought on. All that mattered to Ino at that point was making Rei pay for what Rei had done to her.

Rei for her part had a small smile across her lips as she watched Ino try to kill her. Although it had been difficult for Rei to be so mean and nasty to Ino, Rei felt that the payoff had been more then worth it in the end. It was as plain as day that Ino the fangirl had died and in her place was Ino the konoichi. Ino's attacks were completely lacking in any sign of skill or strength other then rage induced strength but Rei didn't worry too much about that. After all, Rei's mission in the exams was to try and advance in rank; giving Ino the push to become a true ninja was a side bonus.

Quickly thrusting her naginata forward and into position, Rei slammed the side of the blade into Ino's head. Ino was knocked out by Rei's blow and fell to the floor face first. Rei then walked over to Ino and stood next to her unconscious body. Placing her naginata back in her bracelet with a flick of her wrist Rei said, "Congratulations Ino. You were able to do something that most girls nowadays can't do; you became a true Konoichi."

* * *

The three remaining matches of the exams were rather calm compared to earlier matches. Shikamaru had won his match against the sound ninja Dosu by using the shadow imitation jutsu and slamming Dosu's head into a wall. Temari and Kin had the next match with Temari as the winner due to literary blowing the competition away. Finally the last match came down Kankurou and Hinata. Thanks to her bloodline Hinata, who for some reason had become rather motivated, had spotted Kankurou hiding and had been able to use the Juken to force him into submission.

All of the victorious genin were then directed to join Hinata down on the area where they were told that Sarutobi would explain what would happen next. It took less then a minute after that announcement for the old Hokage to appear in the doorway. Looking at the genin Sarutobi said with a friendly smile, "Well now it seems we have our final contestants. In one month's time you all will be fighting in a tournament open to the public and the judges will evaluate you all during each of your matches. There is the possibility that all twelve of you will become chunin and there is also the possibility that none of you will become chunin. However given what I have just seen today, I am sure that at least most of you will become chunin. Before you leave, each of you will have to draw a number to decide your placement in the tournament."

One at a time each genin approached the box that was by Sarutobi's feet and pulled out a number. After everyone had gotten there number the matches were: Rei verses Hinata in round one, Lee verses Shino in round two, Temari verses Shikamaru in round three, Gaara verses Iori in round four, Naruto verses Tenten in round five, and Kiba verses Chouji in round five. With the placements decided and officially recorded Sarutobi let everyone leave the tower after wishing all of the finalists' good luck.

* * *

Author's Notes: If anyone wants to know, Iori's Northern Imperial Kenjutsu style was inspired by the German School of Fencing from the Middle Ages. 


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: IF you think that own Naruto, what else do you believe

Disclaimer: If you think that own Naruto, what else do you believe? That Dark Schneider is a boy scout?

Author's note: I attemepted to work with a beta who was Dumbledork. I have stopped that and the delay in my writing will be less then it has been.

Naruto walked out of his front door and headed off to go to Rei's house. After the last of the preliminary rounds were over yesterday Naruto and Rei had decided that they would talk about their relationship today. They were both just too exhausted at the time that they wouldn't have been able to give the issue of their feelings the proper consideration. Now after a good night's rest, or at least the best amount that Naruto could get considering the circumstances, it was time to tackle the issue head on. Most of the villagers that were up had obviously heard the news about the preliminaries and were still shocked that both the 'Last Uchiha' and the 'Hyuga Genius' had been soundly defeated. This suited Naruto just fine as it made sure that those people who liked to sneer at him were too busy to try to torment him.

Personally, Naruto was very thankful that he had been given this little reprieve even though he wasn't too annoyed at the sneers. Like all men in his position, Naruto was extremely nervous and bewildered at the whole situation. Oh Naruto respected and cared, Naruto was unwilling to use the word 'love' yet simply because he wasn't exactly sure what romantic love was, for Rei a great deal. Also, Naruto knew that Rei was rather attractive girl, a powerful kunoichi for their age, and a caring person. Finally, Rei had practically admitted after the incident with the Aino kunoichi that she was attracted to Naruto as well.

However, despite all of these facts that pointed to a favorable outcome for the day Naruto was still nervous. This was after all, Naruto's first attempt at the romance scene. Mostly Naruto was worried that he would do something that would ruin both his and Rei's possible romance and friendship. Irukia wouldn't really be much of a help as far as Naruto was concerned because as far as Naruto knew Irukia never had a steady girlfriend. Not that Naruto was selling his big brother short, its just that Naruto would rather go to someone he could see had a successful love life in order to get romantic advice rather then go to a bachelor.

Naruto's moment of contemplation ended when the Higurashi house came into view. Briskly walking up the stairs, Naruto crossed the yard and knocked on the front door. Less then a minute later, Rei opened the door and gave Naruto one of her usual small smiles. "Hello Naruto," Rei said as she moved to the side of the door, "Please come in." Naruto accepted Rei's invitation and entered the house. The two young adults then silently walked to the living room and sat down together on the couch.

After a moment of silence Rei decided to start the conversation. "We both have strong and intense feelings for each other Naruto. The question we have to ask ourselves is: do we want to act on them and see where it takes us or do we want to ignore them?" Rei then turned to look at Naruto's face and she gently put her hand under his chin. Very softly Rei whispered, "I'm scared Naruto. On the one hand I'm scared that I'll lose you if things don't work out between us. However, I'm also scared that I will lose something precious if I don't go forward and follow through with what I'm feeling."

Looking into her eyes Naruto could see the conflict in Rei. More importantly to Naruto, he could see that this whole situation was frightening Rei. That fear was tugging at Naruto's heart when he looked into Rei's eyes. Rei in Naruto's mind was calm, confident, caring, and slightly reserved young woman. The fear and worry that Rei was going though was not what Naruto wanted for her. Seeing her so vulnerable made Naruto want to shield her from the rest of the world and not let anyone get to her until she had found the inner strength that she always had.

Firmly but carefully Naruto grasped Rei's hand that was touching his cheek. Looking strait at Rei, Naruto said in a nervous but still firm tone, "I understand Rei. This situation scares me a lot as well. However, I am completely sure of this: I want you. Whether it's as a girlfriend or just as a friend I know that I need to be with you. To be completely honest with you Rei, I'm scared out of my mind at this situation as well. Still, as nervous as I am I would rather try and make this work between us rather then try and ignore what I'm feeling."

Rei sat in her chair for a second and thought about what Naruto had just told her. That Naruto wanted her had never been doubted in Rei's mind. What she had been concerned about was the possibility that Naruto had wanted her just for her looks. The thought was ridiculous considering the type of person that Naruto was, but Rei had simply had too many shallow admires for the idea not to come up. However Rei, although she had been practically sure before, was certain that this was not the case and that Naruto wanted her for who she was and not solely for her looks. That fact firmly in her mind, Rei decided to act on what she was feeling by leaning over and kissing Naruto.

The kiss wasn't some mind blowing experience like many of the romance novels in Konoha tried to portray a girl's first kiss. It was just a small chaste kiss on the lips that only lasted for a second or two before Rei pulled away. However, in that moment made her position on the issue of their relationship perfectly clear to herself and Naruto. With a slightly goofy and surprised grin on his face, Naruto said, "You know Rei; I think everything between us will work out just fine."

* * *

Jiraiya lazily strolled through Konoha towards general direction of Naruto's house. Surprisingly, at least to those who actually knew him, Jiraiya's face had a rather somber expression that morning. This change in his expression was due to the fact that Jiraiya had been oddly reflective the night before. Unlike other reflective times Jiraiya was not contemplating his genin days and the things then that he wished he could correct. Instead, Jiraiya had been thinking about his godson and newest apprentice Naruto.

Personally, Jiraiya thought that Minato must have been hit in the head just before Minato named him as Naruto's godfather. After all, Jiraiya mused, he had never really been there for Naruto when the kid needed him. For too long Jiraiya had been deluding himself by thinking that had been away just so that he could maintain Konoha's spy rings. Yes the spy rings were important, but the truth of the matter was that Jiraiya had been too afraid to own up to his responsibilities back then. Now it was too late for Jiraiya to correct his mistakes with Naruto.

Sure, everything for Naruto was turning out to be alright. The boy was rather skilled as a ninja, had a few good friends, a great team, and apparently a girlfriend to top it all off or so Gamakichi had said. However, Jiraiya couldn't really look at any of that and take pride in knowing that he had helped Naruto achieve all that. Except for giving Naruto the toad contract and a few low powered jutsus Jiraiya really hadn't taught Naruto at all. Last night the old toad sennin had decided that he would not reveal to Naruto that he was the boy's godfather. It would just hurt the boy's feelings to know that the person his parents had put their faith in to raise him had completely messed up.

Jiraiya paused for a moment in the middle of the street and slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. He needed to focus on the here and now, not the past. Redeeming his mistakes towards Naruto might be impossible, but Jiraiya knew that he could at least make a small atonement for his negligence. Naruto would be entering the finals in about a month and Jiraiya was determined to make sure that Naruto became a Chunin.

Suddenly Jiraiya's musing was interrupted when he heard someone say from above him, "Hello there Jiraiya! I wasn't expecting to see you in town." Looking up in surprise, Jiraiya saw Naruto standing on the side of one of the houses. Jiraiya watched as Naruto jumped off the wall he was standing on, perform a flawless back-flip and half-twist, and then land on the street in front of Jiraiya.

Blinking for a second, Jiraiya said, "Naruto, why were you up on that wall in the first place? There are plenty of trees around here that you don't need to go and climb peoples' walls for chakra practice. Besides, I know that at this point the tree climbing exercise won't really help you improve your chakra control any further. Unless you were using an army of shadow clones and that's obviously not the case here."

Naruto crossed his arms, gave Jiraiya one of his confident smiles, and then said, "I know that. Iruka worked me to exhaustion just so I could achieve the level of chakra control that I currently have so believe me I know what improves my chakra control and what doesn't. However, I wasn't doing that to practice my charka control. I was practicing my abilities at unobtrusive urban interception with my shadow clones. By now some ANBU is probably writing up a report about how I was playing 'tag' with my shadow clones using a kunai that will get the poor ninja laughed at by his superior."

Jiraiya stood in the street looking at Naruto for a moment before he busted out laughing. "You're right Naruto," Jiraiya said between laughs, "that poor ANBU is definitely going to be laughed at by his superior." It wasn't that Jiraiya didn't think that Naruto was serious; in fact Jiraiya was quite impressed at the ingenuity that Naruto had shown in creating such a useful exercise. However, Jiraiya found the scenario that Naruto had described to be humorous because Jiraiya knew that such things happened in the ANBU.

Shifting over to a more serious subject, Jiraiya set his into a neutral, but still friendly, expression and then spoke. "I've heard that you and your entire genin team have made it to the finals Naruto, good job. If you would like Naruto, I'll train you for the upcoming finals." Normally Jiraiya would have just told Naruto that the boy was going to be his apprentice. However, Jiraiya knew from what the toads had said that Naruto would be more likely to work with the training if Jiraiya presented it as a choice for the boy.

Naruto for his part closed his eyes and thought about the offer. Nothing against Jiraiya, but Naruto would have rather trained with Iruka simply because Naruto liked the time that he spent with his 'brother'. However, Naruto also knew that Iruka would be too busy teaching at the academy to give him the intense training that he needed for the exams. The whiskered blond opened his eyes and said, "Alright Jiraiya. Where and when do you want to start my training?"

* * *

The sunset had just started to paint the clouds in the sky when Naruto walked up the steeps to the Higurashi house. Naruto had been training hard with Jiraiya all week long but at the moment Naruto didn't care about that. What was on Naruto's mind at the moment was the fact that he was about to have his First Date. True, Naruto knew that Rei wasn't expecting the date to be some sort of magical fairy tale wonder. Rei wasn't, after all, that kind of a girl and would just be expecting a simple movie and a quite dinner at a restaurant. Her level-headed and rational outlook on like was something that Naruto really liked about Rei.

Still, Naruto wanted to make sure that he didn't mess the evening up for Rei. He wanted to see the delight in her emerald eyes that Rei always had when she enjoyed something. Surprisingly Jiraiya, when the old sage had found out about the date, had given Naruto some fairly reasonable dating advice that was not in the least bit perverted. It turned out that Jiraiya had absorbed a great deal of dating information simply through careful observation. Putting that advice into practice was where Jiraiya messed up due the fact that he had poor control over his exuberant _appreciation _of women and their natural beauty.

Knocking on the door, Naruto then took a steep back and adjusted his jacket. His outfit for the evening was mostly just a slightly better looking civilian version of his usual ninja outfit. Except for the Uzumaki family kodachi, which were currently resting in more decorative and less functional scabbards, Naruto was completely unarmed. Patiently Naruto waited at the door for Rei all the while hoping that he didn't make a huge fool out of himself.

Naruto's patience was soon rewarded as Rei opened the door and steeped outside. When Naruto saw Rei he stood completely still and whispered out, "enchanting." For the evening Rei was wearing a single piece Chinese style purple dress. Next to her right ear Rei had placed a single blooming yellow flower and had arranged the flower in such a way that the stem was hidden by her hair. Rei heard Naruto's whisper and immediately started to blush. Part of her blush was due to Naruto's complement and part of it was due to the fact that she liked how Naruto looked in his causal civilian outfit.

After shaking his head for a moment to reset his brain, Naruto said in friendly manner, "You look wonderful tonight Rei. If you don't mind, I was thinking that you and I could head over to the Senju Theater and watch the play that's being shown tonight. From what I hear _Seven Ninjas _is supposed to be a great play. After that I was thinking that you could pick where we're going to have dinner."

Rei listened very attentively to Naruto and she was happy with what he was suggesting for their date. Although Naruto obviously didn't know it, Rei had been hoping to see _Seven Ninjas_ for some time. Also Rei was extremely happy that, except for the once over when she had stepped out of the door, Naruto had been focused on her face the entire conversation. Unlike other girls her age, Rei was proud of her body and confident in its charms. She wanted a boyfriend who would want her for who she was and admire her looks, not slobber over her like a hormone crazed dog.

Taking a step towards Naruto Rei politely, with her tone containing a hint of her happiness, said, "That sounds wonderful Naruto. I'm looking forward to seeing the play with you." At that point Naruto's face started to show a hint of his nervousness; however Naruto was able to regain his composure and offered Rei his arm. Rei gratefully accepted the offered arm and was then led down the steps to the street. Although the young couple was noticed by many of the villagers, Naruto and Rei weren't bothered by them. Well, there was the spiteful old busybody crone every now and then that would shoot glares at Naruto.

However those bitter has-beens were glared at by all of other nearby villagers. Despite their disapproval of her choice of companion, Rei was a Higurashi and none of the villagers wanted to chance upsetting the girl. As far as they were concerned, annoying Naruto wasn't worth getting the local priest angry. A few of the more hardened villagers were also starting to re-examine their opinions of the boy. In their minds it wasn't possible that a holy man like Rei's grandfather could have been bewitched by a demon. So why then, they asked themselves, had the man let his precious granddaughter date Naruto? This was something that these people were going to have to spend the rest of the night musing about. When the sun rose that morning there was a long line of people heading up to the village shrine to make penitence offerings.

* * *

Sarutobi was sitting at his seat in Konoha's Council chamber. Currently Sarutobi was having to deal with the entire High Council due to the fact that today was one of the required meetings of the full council. Personally Sarutobi could see the reason why bi-monthly mandatory meetings were required by one of the Shodai's edicts. However, just because Sarutobi could understand the unifying aspect of the meetings he didn't have to like the meetings. In fact Sarutobi detested these meetings because of how much time they took up. The heart of problem came from the fact that several of the council members, most of whom were occupying the civilian seats of the council, seemed to like to pointlessly debate issues.

After two hours of councilmen debating about the issue on whether the tariff on Rice Country cereals should be lowered or not Sarutobi had started to develop a tic on his forehead. Pounding his fist on the table, Sarutobi yelled out, "Enough of this! As the Hokage I am using my executive authority and decree that this issue is to not be discussed further at this meeting. Instead, the matter will be looked at by a committee composed of random council members and presided over by the secretary of supply." To emphasis his point Sarutobi directed the faintest hint of killing intent towards the two arguing councilmen. Several of the ninja clan heads had faint smirks on their faces as they watched those annoying buffoons practically scurry into their seats.

Once the self-important nobodies were back in the peanut gallery where they belonged, Sarutobi calmly and majestically said, "Alright then, let's move on to more important matters. At 11 o'clock two nights a spy was apprehended attempting to gain access into the hospital library." Instantly the council room was filled with the chattering voices of the shocked council members. Sarutobi cleared his throat, thus regaining everyone's attention, and continued to explain the situation. "From what Ibiki has 'uncovered', this spy was after the Blood Manuscript that I obtained several months ago from a classified source."

Everyone in the room became extremely interested in what Sarutobi had to say. Sure everyone was concerned that a spy had been in Konoha, but most of the council members didn't think that hospital was all that important for a spy to go after. However, the Blood Manuscript was an entirely different story. That document was considered the most revolutionary breakthrough in medical history for the last two hundred years. Even non-medical ninjas and civilians, although most of those two groups only really knew a brief synopsis about what was contained in the document, recognized its importance.

Knowing that everyone would want a full explanation and not seeing any strategic harm, Sarutobi revealed another important piece of information concerning the spy. "Also, the spy has revealed that he was working in a spy ring for Orochimaru. So far this spy has only revealed a few names of his fellow spies. Rest assured that as I speak those named by the spy are being rounded up for questioning. If the people are innocent no one outside of Ibiki, the ANBU team that brings the person in, and me will know that the person was brought into this distasteful affair. However, if anyone name is indeed part of this spy ring they will be interrogated and summarily executed."

There was an immediate roar of approval over this edict. None of the council members, despite how corrupt one or two of them were, liked the idea of spies in the village. After all, spies usually meant that there could be trouble close to home and no one wanted that. Very quickly after that outburst things settled down again in the council chambers and a few things were decided. Concerning the spy attempt the only amendment that the council insisted on was that the Blood Manuscript be placed on the same security level as the Forbidden Scroll. Once that issue was taken care of, the council quickly made their way through the rest of the items on the agenda for that day.

* * *

Half an hour after the council meeting was over Sarutobi heard someone knock on his office door. After telling the person at the door to come in Sarutobi saw Shikaku Nara stand in front of the desk. Sarutobi then looked up at Shikaku and said, "I'm glad you noticed the memo I left Shikaku." Most people in the village didn't know it, but Shikaku was one of Sarutobi's most trusted advisers. Shikaku and Shibi Aburame, who was currently on a training journey to help is son, were the people that Sarutobi trusted to give him the best possible advice on a situation. While he did trust his old teammates, Sarutobi found Homura and Koharu to be too set in their thinking for certain types of situations. In these situations, which frequently involved complex matters of state involving matters outside of the village, the strategic brilliance of the Nara and the logical clarity of the Aburame were invaluable.

Shikaku leaned against the wall and lazily said, "What do you want me to look at now Lord Hokage? Can we make it quick? My wife expects me to be home by 7 with some groceries." Although he would never admit it Shikaku was pleased that Sarutobi had him look at various policies. Being willing to admit that there might be something that you overlooked was a sign of a wise leader and Sarutobi was definitely a wise leader. The Sandaime also happened to be a very smart leader in Shikaku's opinion as Sarutobi's usually only needed the smallest of changes.

Pulling out his pipe, Sarutobi paused for a moment to enjoy the flavor of his tobacco. He then puffed out a small ring of smoke and put the pipe down. In a serious voice Sarutobi then said, "There is more to the spy incident then I told the council. Almost a year ago this spy ring was told to start preparing for an invasion of Konoha. For reasons that are unknown to the spy, the group was ordered by Orochimaru a few months ago to scale back their operations. However, they were not supposed to back to their previous level of activity. Instead they were told to prepare for 'expected hostilities to start up sometime in the indeterminate future' and cause massive damage when they heard the news of these hostilities. We know that Orochimaru is the founder of Hidden Sound and we know that Orochimaru wants to destroy Konoha. However, Orochimaru's recent actions do not make sense."

Sarutobi rested his head on his right hand and paused for a second. After gathering his thoughts Sarutobi continued, "I know Orochimaru. I know how he thinks, how he plans, and to a degree how he rates his opposition. No matter how I look at the situation in front of me, something just doesn't add up. Oto is a minor village and can't have more then say 700 ninjas or so of varying levels. Konoha on the other hand has a little over 500 jonin in active service right now, at least 4 times that many Chunin. Orochimaru is no fool and knows that a clash between Oto and Konoha would leave Konoha as the victor. So why then was he preparing for an invasion and why did he show up at the Chunin Exams after Sasuke?"

Shikaku took a few minutes and carefully considered what Sarutobi had just said with what he knew about the current political situation. The lazy advisor then said while keeping his eyes closed, "Orochimaru must have been planning to ally himself with another village. Considering the policies of the last wind daimyo Suna would have been a likely bet for an ally against us."

Sarutobi then nodded his head and said, "Yes that sounds like Orochimaru. He must have had his spies working overtime so that he could have convinced the Kazekage that his plan would work. The Yondaime Kazekage has always been concerned about the strength of Suna; far more then other Kages are about their own villages. Luckily for us, the new wind daimyo is far more intelligent then his late father. With the continued infusion of cash and missions that the wind daimyo has been sending to Suna there is no incentive for the Kazekage to break the alliance."

"However I am a bit puzzled at the expected hostilities part that Orochimaru told his spy. Particularly, I am curious as to exactly where Orochimaru expects there to be fighting soon. Our Northern and Eastern flanks are unlikely. Kumo and Kiri are both too busy with the affairs of their own countries at the moment. The south we only have a few small clusterings of ninjas that are barely considered ninja villages. That leaves the West as the only place that Orochimaru can be expecting hostilities to break out in."

"The fact is Shikaku; I can't deduce the situation any further then that. Between Iwa, Suna, and Konoha there are about half a dozen different ninja villages. Except for River Country and Ami all of those villages are allied with Iwa. River country is thankfully our ally because without its alliance Konoha wouldn't have a land connection to Suna. Ami on the other hand has been very isolationist these past few years. But, we do know for a fact that there is a trade agreement between Ami and Iwa. Do you see something here that I'm missing?"

Shikaku shook his head and said, "This whole situation is troublesome Lord Hokage and I can't help you much on this matter. What I do know is that relations in the west are going to get more hostile as the month goes on. All of the daimyos from the western countries except for Rock are expected to be attending the Chunin Exams. This makes those villages look bad since none of their ninjas made it to the third round preliminaries. Also one has to consider the fact that except for two Suna ninjas, all of the ninjas at the exam will be Konoha ninjas. Naturally this fact will anger the minor villages and some of them may even try to start rumors of foul play on Konoha's part."

Getting up off of the wall, Shikaku put his hands in his pockets and shrugged. Then he said, "Maybe Shibi can think of something when he gets back. All I can suggest is that you get into contact with the Kazekage and start working on joint village defense plans. The West is a box of explosive notes practically waiting to explode. Most people will say I'm being unusually alarmist at the situation. Personally, I call it playing it safe." With that said Shikaku got up and walked out of Sarutobi's office.

* * *

Late in the evening at the Hyuga compound Hinata was in the middle of a heavy duty training exercise. For the past two weeks Hinata had been out on that field constantly training. Everyone, including her father, and been completely surprised at the level of intensity that that Hinata was training at. Of course, most of the Hyuga could still barely twist their minds around the fact that it was Hinata and not Neji who would be the clan's sole representative in the exam.

The reason for Hinata's training was due to her first opponent. Every time Hinata looked at training dummy, she saw Rei's face: the girl who was with Naruto. It was the fact that it was Rei and not her that was with Naruto that made Hinata very upset. She, not Rei, had been the one to watch Naruto as he clawed his way up from the bottom of the class to the level that he had reached. In the classroom it had been her who was always silently cheering Naruto on even when a lot of their classmates laughed at Naruto.

Finishing her Juken routine with an Eight Trigrams 64 Hands, Hinata dropped to her knees and started to cry. It just didn't seem fair to Hinata that she didn't get to be with Naruto. However Hinata very quickly whipped those tears away and got back on her feet through sheer force of will. She then redid the taijutsu routine she had just completed only this time a lot slower and without using any chakra. This was done so Hinata could work on pin-point accuracy in her strikes. All the while, Hinata was going over in her mind about why she was training so hard.

Unlike one of Sasuke's pathetic fangirls, Hinata didn't hold any illusions about her upcoming fight. There was no way that Naruto would drop Rei and proclaim his undying love for Hinata if she won the fight. Naruto wasn't that kind of a guy and he also wouldn't be the young man that Hinata fell in love with if he did such a thing. Another difference between Hinata and the Uchiha's fan club was the fact that Hinata didn't harbor any plans of trying to break Naruto and Rei up. Such an action was only fit for a scum bag as Hinata's mother used to say when she heard people talking about such plans as part of a romance novel's plot and Hinata did not want to go against her mother's beliefs. Revenge was also not on Hinata's agenda for the upcoming match due to the fact that she could admit that it was through her own inaction that she had lost Naruto to Rei.

What Hinata wanted out of the match, even more then making it to Chunin, was to see if Rei was worthy of Naruto. The fact that Naruto was with Rei spoke a lot to Hinata about the type of person Rei was. Also, Rei's match with Ino was a bit of an eye opener to Hinata about Rei. However, that didn't prove to Hinata that Rei had what it took to be Naruto's girlfriend or possibly his wife. Naruto as Hinata knew had big dreams for his future. However Hinata also knew that those dreams would be challenged by several of the entrenched power brokers in the village. Any woman who was with Naruto would need to help him deal with those people who were in between Naruto and his dream. That was what Hinata was after in her fight; to see whether or not Rei had what it took to help Naruto achieve his dreams. And to do that, Hinata knew that she needed to be as strong as possible to challenge Rei's determination.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: If I was the creator of Naruto, each and every villager in Konoha who disregarded the Yondaime's last wish would have forfeited their soul the Shinigami immediately after they disregarded the wish. Since this is not the case I logically don't own Naruto.

Konoha was just starting to appear in Iori's view as the sun finished rising behind him. There was an extremely happy if savage looking grin on Iori's face as he thought of returning home. Iori had spent the last 20 days out in the wilderness training with his father. His father had been one of the ANBU observing the preliminaries and had requested permission to take time off to train Iori. Sarutobi, fully understanding Kenma's fears for Iori, had immediately approved of trip and had even counted it as a mission so Kenma didn't have to use up his vacation time.

Pausing for a moment to just look at Konoha as the first sunbeams touched the village, Iori thought about his upcoming match in three days. One thing that Iori knew about the upcoming fight was that he was afraid. Gaara would be a powerful advisery; one who would not hesitate for a second to go for the kill if he could. Even with the strenuous training that his father had put him through Iori only rated his chances of wining his upcoming fight as 30, maybe 40 if Gaara wasn't on his game.

Still even knowing those odds, Iori was bound and determined to try and defeat Gaara. As far as Iori was concerned he couldn't forfeit now. To just forfeit now before the match after all of his training would be an insult to all of his trainers in Iori's mind. Those people had taken valuble time and effort out of their lives because they had seen something within Iori and there was no way Iori would waste the time those people had spent training him. Conceding the match after trying his best to win was acceptable in Iori's mind because then he would have done his best and no teacher could complain about that.

Iori then felt a hand being placed on his shoulder and turned to look at his father. While giving Iori's shoulder a slight squeeze, Kenma said in a wise fatherly voice, "Don't worry son you'll do fine. You've improved by a substantial amount compared to where you were before we went on this trip. I'm proud of the progress you've made and I'm sure that your teammates can't wait to see how much you've improved."

As soon as Iori heard his father mention Rei and Naruto, his mood started to pick up. Those two occupied a spot in Iori's heart right after his parent's and the twins. Considering the fact that he had been an outsider in his class group, Iori didn't find it strange at all that he and his teammates had bonded like they had. All of them only had their families to depend on during school and all of them had been more aware of reality then their peers.

This difference had been made very obvious to Iori when Naruto's classmates, who had been the only other rookie teams from Konoha besides Team Chouza to show up for the Chunin Exams, had dubbed themselves the Rookie 9. Even after those nine had realized that Team Chouza was in fact a "Rookie" team as well the name had stuck. There was an obvious divide between the Rookie 9 and Team Chouza that even the bimbos, as Iori liked to mockingly refer to useless kunoichi, had recognized on a subconscious level. Not that the Rookie 9 were all bad ninja, in fact most of them were more then half-way decent for genin. However, the fact of the matter was that the Rookie 9 looked at the shinobi world through an amateur's eyes. That is to say, the Rookie 9 still seemed to cling to some childish views of the shinobi world and/or they thought they could take on the world.

Team Chouza on the other hand had long since passed this stage of thinking; all three members of the team abandoning that view of the world before the team was even formed for different reasons. Iori knew, as did Naruto and Rei, that Team Chouza was a rookie team simply due to the fact that all teams that were made up of ninjas who were active for less then a year was automatically labeled a rookie team.

Iori then let these thoughts leave his mind while he and his father headed home. They were briefly stopped by the gate guards, but that only lasted a few seconds after Kenma flashed his identification card. Once through the gates, Iori and his father made a bee line for their house not bothering to stop at all.

However, as Iori was walking towards his house he passed a Jonin and a Chunin that were chatter. Normally Iori wouldn't bother listening in on other peoples' conversations, but the Jonin was telling a joke that caught Iori's attention. The joke was, "What do you call a team of self-important ninjas, lauded by the council, trained by one of the most renowned Jonin alive, which is completely useless? Team Kakashi, that's who!" Both those two ninjas, along with a few other ninjas that were passing by, started laughing hysterically while a few civilians sent the joking Jonin sour looks.

Personally Iori didn't find the joke all that funny because as far as he was concerned it was belittling a potentially massive problem. That problem in Iori's mind was Kakashi. While Iori didn't personally know Kakashi, Iori knew a decent amount of information about the Copy Ninja. Kakashi was defiantly a superb ninja and an excellent squad commander, of that Iori had no doubts. However as far as Iori was concerned, Kakashi was poor teacher as the Chunin Exams seemed to show. Not wanting to assign ill intent where stupidity could suffice, Iori was going with the assumption that Kakashi simply put too much emphasis on teamwork during his training sessions and not enough on personal improvement.

Iori then dropped his line of thinking because it seemed pointless to him. Team Kakashi's affairs were Team Kakashi's affairs and no one else's except for the Hokage had a reason to stick their nose into those affairs. Besides, Iori had far more important things to worry about at the moment then a genin team that flunked in the tournament. Important things like what his mother was making for dinner tonight and whether or not Naruto and Rei had _finally _gotten together.

* * *

On the day of the final exams Naruto cheerfully got out of bed and quickly went through his morning routine. Once that was taken care of, Naruto promptly left his apartment and headed towards the stadium. When Naruto arrived at the stadium Naruto saw Iori, Iori's family, Rei, her family, and Jiraiya all gathered together apparently waiting for him. As he approached the group Naruto noticed that there was a person with Rei's family that he didn't recognize. Naruto cheerfully said as he closed the gap between him and the group, "Hi everyone! Who's the younger girl next to your brother Rei?"

Rei walked up to Naruto and gently wrapped her hand in his before softly saying, "Hello Naruto." She then rotated around Naruto so that she could rest her head on Naruto's shoulder while their hands were still joined together. From her spot next to Naruto, Rei quietly said while discreetly motioning with her free hand, "This is my cousin Chizuru. She is a shrine maiden and lives with my aunt at one of the shrines in the capital city of Fire Country. If you recall, I said a while back that I had to prepare for a relative of mine coming to town and Chizuru was who I was speaking about."

Naruto gave Rei's hand a gentle squeeze to say thank-you and then he gave Chizunru a polite bow. "I hope your stay in Konoha is a pleasant one Chizuru and I hope that you enjoy the finials." Chizuru's only response to Naruto's statement was to politely bow her head.

Turning to face Iori Naruto said, "It's great to see you again Iori. I sure hope that you put your training trip to good use because I hope to have to face either you or Rei in the finals." At this comment Iori gave Naruto one of his usual gruff but still friendly grins.

Jiraiya then coughed and said, "While I'm sure everyone wants to sit around and chat, we are on a schedule here. Naruto, Rei, and Iori need to get signed in for the tournament. Now why don't we all head up and go to our seats while these three get signed up?" Everyone quickly agreed to Jiraiya's proposal and the group split up. Team Chouza headed off to the left towards the contestant area and the others headed to the right towards the seating entrance.

* * *

In the contestant box everyone was waiting for the finals to begin. Naruto and Rei were sitting on a bench next to each other with Iori leaning against the wall near where Naruto was sitting. Temari was currently sitting on the bench that was in front of Team Chouza and sending questioning glances towards the team. Gaara was standing in the shadows of one corner where he could look at the entire box. Kiba, Choji, and Shikamaru were all sitting on a bench that was on the other side of the door from Naruto and Rei's bench. Finally Lee, Tenten, and Hinata were sitting on the bench that was in front of where the three boys were sitting.

Over the intercom everyone in the contestant box heard, "Hello Konoha and honored guests! It is a gorgeous day today, just perfect for watching action-packed fights. This is the 29th Chunin Exam Tournament and we will be starting the matches in just a moment. Today we get to see some of the finest genin among the elemental countries battle it out in front of us for the honor of becoming chunin. Now the winner of this tournament may not become a chunin, but the winner will win the Sakura Crown! So without further adieu, the first match between Rei Higurashi and Hinata Hyuga shall commence."

Both Rei and Hinata quietly exited the contestant box and shortly reappeared on the arena field. Just after the two young women appeared on the field the announcer started talking again over the intercom. "Rei Higurashi comes from a family that is more known for shrine tenders then shinobi, but don't let that fool you folks. Miss Higurashi's genin team happens have the completed the most missions out of all of Konoha's rookie teams. Hinata Hyuga on the other hand is the heir to the prestigious Hyuga clan. She's considered to be the gentlest of the Hyugas and it's been rumored that the Hyuga clan wasn't expecting her to make it this far on her first Chunin exam. However, Hinata has gotten father then Neji Hyuga who was considered a sure-in for this exam. Now let us see which of these beautiful and deadly ladies will advance, the protractor may now call the match whenever he feels like it."

Hayate, who was the protractor, told the girls that the match had begun and quickly got out of the way. Hinata started off the fight by flashing through handseals and activating her byakugan. Once her byakugan was activated, Hinata got into an offensive Juken stance and ran towards Rei.

For her part, Rei was determined to keep Hinata from touching her. At her current skill level Rei was sure that a taijutsu match would most likely end in Hinata's victory. One of Rei's shinobi ancestor's had created a Reiton jutsu could neutralize the Juken, but Rei didn't have chakra reserves to use the jutsu and muscle her way to victory. So Rei summoned her trusty naginata and quickly used it to slash at Hinata.

Hinata instantly bent backwards to avoid Rei's blade and then Hinata flipped in the opposite direction of Rei's swing. After doing a complete flip Hinata landed on her feet like a cat and narrowed her eyebrows. Just like Hinata had suspected, Rei was using her naginata to keep Hinata from contact. Normally a Hyuga would be at Rei's mercy in a situation like this due to the fact that most Hyugas only studied the Juken and the fact that Rei's was too skilled to just drop that pole arm of hers. However Hinata was considered to be the black sheep of the family. Since she was considered the black sheep, Hinata mused, why not fight like one?

Rei saw Hinata make a series of handseals and then slowly dissolve. Immediately after seeing Hinata dissolve Rei got into a closed defensive stance. It was obvious to Rei that Hinata was trying to trap her in a genjutsu. While the standard textbook response in this type of situation would be to immediately try to dispel the genjutsu, Rei did not. This was because Rei wasn't sure if the genjutsu Hinata used was just to get away or part of a larger genjutsu. If it was part of a larger genjutsu which wasn't inconceivable to Rei since Hinata was taught by Konoha's Genjutsu Mistress; than Rei would wait for Hinata to make her move.

Very quickly the answer to Rei's question was made apparent when roots suddenly appeared out the ground and bound Rei's feet together. As a tree rapidly grew behind Rei and the branches of that tree wrapped around Rei a single thought went through her head- Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death jutsu. Knowing that Hinata would quickly close her tenketsus if she didn't act quickly, Rei made a half-handseal and softly said, "Release."

Instantly Hinata's genjutsu was broken and Rei could see Hinata rapidly approaching her. Both girls then swerved away from each other and out of the other's strike range. They then took to slowly circling each other trying to find an opening. However, to Hinata and Rei's frustration, neither one could either find an opening or trick the other into attacking. In the back of their minds Rei and Hinata were carefully reassessing what they knew about each other.

After 3 minutes of circling, which seemed like an eternity to the girls, Rei decided to change tactics. Rei jump backwards high into the air and raised her naginata to her right side. She then quickly brought her naginata down so that the blade was pointing at Hinata and Rei yelled out, "Spirit Release: Spirit Spear!" The blade of the naginata started to glow with a blue-white light for a second and then a narrow beam shot out from the glowing blade.

Hinata saw the beam coming at her and started to perform the Kaiten to defend herself. This move of Hinata's surprised the Hyugas in the audience because as far as they knew Hinata had not yet been taught that move by her father. Hiashi himself didn't know that Hinata knew the Kaiten due to the fact that she had lifted the jutsu scroll for the Kaiten and copied it.

And so Rei's attack met Hinata's defense in a clash of opposites. The Kaiten was one of the most famous or infamous defensive jutsus known in the ninja world. On the other hand, Spirit Release: Spirit Spear was an obscure Higurashi family jutsu designed to pierce a ninja's defenses and attack the ninja's chakra. When the two jutsus met a bright, almost blinding, light was created. This light continued as Hinata kept up the Kaiten and Rei continued to use the Spirit Spear until her feet touched the ground. As soon as her feet were firmly on the ground, Rei disengaged the Spirit Spear and got into a defensive position.

Immediately after the Spirit Spear stopped pounding at her defense, Hinata got out of the Kaiten. However as soon as she dropped out of the Kaiten, Hinata was confronted by a strange numbness coming from her hands. Hinata glanced at her hands with her Byakugan activated to see what was wrong and was shocked at what she saw. "My hands," Hinata said with the shock visible on her face, "the tenketsus in my hand are seared shut!" She then realized what had happened and unintentionally voiced it out loud. "Rei's attack was too focused to be completely reflected. A sizable portion of its energy must have been forced into the Kaiten like a pot being heated up by a flame. My hands, being the closest to the area of the blast, would naturally be the first to feel the affects of the clash."

Hinata then bowed her head and raised her hand above her head. In a somber voice Hinata slowly said, "Protractor I, Hinata Hyuga, am forced to concede the match do to injury suffered over the course of the match." Hayate then nodded his head a quietly signaled that Rei had won the match. While Hinata's face was somber as she slowly headed towards the exit, she was smiling on the inside. Rei had proven to Hinata that she had the power, the intelligence, and the determination to stand with Naruto. For Hinata, that was enough. Now what she needed to focus on doing was getting to the medical wing and getting her hands treated so she didn't have to spend a month or two without being able to use the seared shut tenketsus.

* * *

The next match of the exams was between Lee and Shino. Sadly for Shino it was a rather one-sided match. While Lee's rare disease horribly distorted and shrunk his chakra system, it had the hidden blessing of making it practically impossible for kikai bugs to absorb Lee's chakra. Shino did try his hardest to win by falling back on taijutsu, but Lee's skill and strength was just too much for the Aburame youth.

Once Lee and Shino's match ended it was Temari and Shikamaru's turn to fight. The first few minutes of their fight was action-packed and entertained the crowd. However, the action quickly ended in a waiting game thanks to Shikamaru using his Shadow Imitation jutsu to keep Temari away from him. Eventually the game of cat and mouse between Temari and Shikamaru ended with Shikamaru managing to capture Temari with his jutsu. Shikamaru immediately forfeited after capturing Temari though stating lack of chakra for why he was giving up.

After Temari and Shikamaru vacated the arena, the announcer started talking over the intercom, "And now on to our next match lined up for us today. Will Iori Kusanagi and Gaara of the Desert please go to the arena now?" Both Gaara and Iori calmly body-flickered to opposite ends of the field. The announcer then started talking again saying, "Iori is from a relatively new clan to Konoha although the Kusanagi have a long and prestigious ninja tradition. Today that tradition and prestige will be confronted by Gaara of the Desert. Gaara is powerhouse and has been reported to have ruthlessly killed over 300 ninjas; over half of those kills were supposedly done before Gaara even became a ninja. Which will emerge victorious today? Protractor, you may start the match at your choosing."

As soon as they were told to begin Iori got into a defensive stance while Gaara just stood motionless with his sand circling around him. Deciding to 'test the waters', Iori pulled out two shuriken and sent them flying towards Gaara. Iori then carefully watched as Gaara's sprang up, took the form of Gaara, grabbed the two shuriken, and finally crushed the shuriken. While his sand was doing this Gaara didn't even bat an eye.

Iori waited a second to see if Gaara would retaliate, but not sign of attack came from Gaara. Iori then carefully went over what he knew about Gaara and what he had seen in the match so far even if the match hadn't gotten past opening moves yet. It seemed to Iori that Gaara was a defensive fighter who preferred to wait until he had his opponents' right where he wanted them before they were killed. As far as Iori knew there were only two methods that a person could use to get through a shield. Those methods were to either go around the defenses or to blast through them. Since Iori couldn't see any way around Gaara's defenses that wouldn't get him kill, Iori was left with the blasting option.

Quickly jumping backwards to put some distance between him and Gaara, Iori stopped about 5 feet from the wall behind him. Iori raised one hand up to mid-chest level like he was holding a bowl and then, while still keeping an eye on Gaara, turned his head towards his hand. He took a deep breath and then Iori let out a focused stream of fire from his mouth pointed at his hand. The fames never touched Iori's hand at all, but instead the flames started to form a little reddish-orange sphere. Even as Iori kept sending fire into the sphere, the sphere itself never grew. However, the sphere did change colors from reddish-orange to yellowish-orange.

Once Iori stopped feeding flames into the sphere his face broke out into a small smirk. Iori tossed the burning sphere up into the air and said, "Fire Style: Imperial Phoenix Sphere!" The fiery orb quickly started to fall back to the earth and Iori then kicked it towards Gaara. For his part, Gaara just brought his sand up in a defensive position and waited for Iori's attack to hit. A huge explosion occurred when the Imperial Phoenix Sphere impacted Gaara's shield kicking up a cloud of dust.

Iori did not charge into the dust cloud, but instead he waited for the dust to settle. While he was waiting, Iori used his arm and wiped away the beads of sweet that were forming on his forehead. The Imperial Phoenix Sphere was a very powerful and tiring jutsu. It required the user to compact enough flames to from two Fire Dragon Flame Projectiles into such a small area. Due to the jutsu's power and control requirements, no rational shinobi except for a Kusanagi would even bother to try and learn it.

As the smoke cleared, Iori was both amazed and frightened by what he saw. Right where the Imperial Phoenix Sphere had hit Gaara's defense was a pillar of glass. However to Iori's fear, Gaara was standing behind that pillar of glass and it looked like Gaara was completely unharmed by the attack. Besides being apparently unharmed Gaara was sending almost literal waves of killing intent towards Iori. One thing was certain to Iori, he _definitely _had his work cut out for him in this fight.

* * *

Up in the contestant box, Naruto and Rei were standing together by the ledge looking at the area below with worried faces. Rei leaned towards Naruto a bit and rested her head on his shoulder for comfort. She then felt Naruto slowly wrap his arm around her shoulders. This little act of concern from Naruto help to calm Rei's worries a bit concerning Iori's predicament. However, Rei wanted to try and get more assurance then that for Iori's safety. Therefore Rei softly whispered into Naruto's ear, "What do you _see_ as Iori's chances Naruto?"

Without any outward sign, Naruto positioned his vision above the arena and then carefully looked at the battlefield up to 40 seconds into the future. Naruto then said very quietly while keeping his vision in place, "Things don't look good for Iori. While it's possible for Iori to win, Gaara walks the path to victory. However I do have some good news Rei, the path does not seem to end in Iori's demise or maiming."

This was not the news that Rei had been hoping to hear, but she was happy nevertheless. Iori was like a brother to Rei and she was content to hear that he would make it through the match alive and in good condition. After all, in the shinobi business a person should always be happy to be able to bring their entire team home at the end of the day.

However, as Rei watched the fight between Iori and Gaara continue below her a troubling question came to her mind. Just who was Gaara of the Desert exactly? Thanks to her study of seals Rei had slowly developed an intuitive sense of being able to estimate how much chakra a jutsu needed to function. This sense was currently telling Rei that something wasn't adding up with the jutsus Gaara was using. Even if Gaara had bloodline that dealt in sand manipulation, which was unlikely since Gaara's siblings didn't show any signs of possessing Gaara's abilities and Naruto hadn't mentioned any such bloodline, he should be starting to show signs of chakra exhaustion like Iori.

These thoughts made Rei narrow her eyes even as she rested her head on Naruto's shoulders. There was one explanation that Rei knew of that would explain the oddities of Gaara's abilities: Jinchurriki. However, Gaara couldn't be the jinchurriki of a minor demon or spirit because even then the chakra requirements would still be too short for what Rei was seeing. Only a bijuu would be able to grant a person of Gaara's age the power that he was currently displaying so casually.

Rei then continued her reasoning one step further and made the assumption that Gaara held the one tailed bijuu. According to the Key of Kagome, Shukaku preferred the desolate areas of the Wind Country Desert and it tended to stay in that area when it could be found in the mortal realm. That meant that Shukaku was the most readily available biju that Sand could possibly use and besides, Gaara's abilities matched what Shukaku was said to do.

Glancing over to Temari for a second, Rei saw a look of fear in Temari's eyes. That fear made hidden though it was made Rei worry a little. Why would a seemingly rational young woman like Temari have that much fear towards her brother even if he was a jinchurriki? While some people might claim that just the fact that Gaara was a jinchurriki was enough of a reason for someone to be afraid, Rei knew differently. Of the 15 different jinchurriki that the Higurashi family had direct dealings with over its history, not including the additional 2 dozen that they had heard about, none of those jinchurriki had inspired fear in a close family member. Those jinchurriki had inspired fear, but it was always in the jinchurriki's neighbors that the fear was found. Why was Gaara so different then?

Whispering into Naruto's ear, Rei said hoping to get a second opinion on why Gaara was so different. "I believe that Gaara is a jinchuuriki Naruto, it's the only real explanation for his power and abilities. What I don't understand is why Temari is apparently so afraid of Gaara." Rei's voice was in its usual calm and serene tone, but Naruto could easily pick up on the undertones in her voice showing that she was confused and nervous.

Naruto, having just foreseen the end of the match, discreetly disengaged his Ranseigan and turned slightly so that Rei's head was resting in the arch of his neck. He then started to run his hands through her raven black hair and quietly said, "Sadly I don't know why ether Rei. My eyes can see many things, but they can't see into a person's heart or why people do what they do. That is something that only a person far wiser then I can hope to do. My only suggestion is that if you want to know, ask Temari why."

Then by gently nudging Rei with his arm that was holding her, Naruto was able to get Rei to look at the arena again. Down below them the area was scarred by the burn marks from Iori's jutsus. Iori himself was currently standing on the arena wall opposite from the contestant box. The poor young man was sweating profusely, was huffing as he breathed, and was currently trying to doge Gaara's sand. Gaara had been constantly sending his sand at Iori so that Iori didn't have enough time to make flames hot enough to turn the sand into glass. It was obvious to any person at the stadium who had any real ninja training that Iori was finished.

Not wanting to be a martyr of stupidity and pride, Iori called out as he started running up the wall towards the audience, "I forfeit!" It was a good thing that Iori had the foresight to immediately head towards the 'safe' zone because Gaara had continued to send his sand after Iori even with Iori throwing in the towel. Luckily for Iori Hayate had yelled at Gaara to stop attacking Iori or be disqualified.

Normally Gaara would just ignore someone's orders, usually accompanied by killing the fool, to stop trying to kill someone. However, Gaara did stop attacking this time. Gaara's 'mother' had told him that a strong opponent was nearby. An opponent that he could face and kill in the tournament which would be all the more satisfying then if Gaara had fought and killed this opponent in a less public venture. And thus Gaara headed towards the arena exit completely ignoring the prattling of the announcer, he had far better blood to give to his mother then that annoying if powerful Kusanagi. Blood that Gaara intended to collect.


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Orochimaru wouldn't have bothered going after Sasuke and he would have just kidnapped a few baby Uchiha's before the Uchiha Massacre.

Up in the stands Chizuru was confused when the Announcer stated that the next match would be between Rei and Lee. Wanting to get some answers, Chizuru turned to her left and looked at Jiraiya who was in the row behind her. After politely coughing to get Jiraiya's attention, Chizuru politely said, "Lord Jiraiya, Why is my cousin fighting again when there are four other chunin hopefuls that have not yet fought today?"

Jiraiya, who had a secret fatherly soft-spot for preteens, gave Chizuru an honest smile and started to explain what was going on. "You see Chizuru the tournament is fought in rounds. If you were to look at the matches on a piece of paper you would see that the four matches we just watched are on lower level then Naruto's starting match. What's done in this case is the matches on the lower tier are fought first and then the next round starts."

Chizuru nodded her head and then politely said, "Thank you Lord Jiraiya for explaining that to me."

Upon seeing Chizuru bow Jiraiya let out a small chuckle and he said, "Don't worry about it Chizuru. If there's anything else that I can help you understand when you're watching the tournament just let me know." Jiraiya then turned his attention back to the area where he just barely got to see Lee go flying into the stadium wall due to Rei using a variant of the 1000 years of pain with her naginata. There were only two things that Jiraiya knew of that would make Rei use a technique like THAT on a guy. Either Lee had attempted to get Rei to go out with him and hadn't gotten a clue. Or Lee had said something to the effect that he wouldn't fight his hardest due to her being a girl and thus something to be treated with delicacy. Since Jiraiya hadn't seen any sign of Reiton he was assuming that it was option number two.

The sight of Lee imbedding into the concrete wall made Jiraiya want to go down to where Gai was sitting and strangle the fitness fool. Every genin with over a year's worth of experience should automatically know that ALL opposing ninjas are to be treated as being at LEAST as skilled as the genin themselves. That Lee had made such a rookie mistake and in front of the dignitaries was completely inexcusable on Gai's part.

After the proctor called the match with Rei as the winner, Jiraiya glared at the unconscious Lee until the medics carried him off of the field. The reason Jiraiya was glaring was because in his mind Lee represented all that was wrong in the majority of the ninjas that the academy was churning out in the past few years. In Jiraiya's mind the academy wasn't training the kids in the mentality one needed to be a great ninja. Lee had a great drive to become a great ninja even with his disability and Jiraiya respected that. However, Jiraiya felt it was the academy's fault for not teaching Lee about the need to be silent. Also, and Jiraiya grumbled as he thought about it, Lee's academy teacher should have pointed Lee in the direction of making traps and kenjtsu to diversify his abilities as a ninja.

* * *

The next scheduled match was supposed to be between Temari and Gaara. Unfortunately for the fight eager crowd, Temari had immediately forfeited her match. Therefore the announcer moved on to the next scheduled match. "Alright then folks; this next match is between Naruto Uzumaki and Tenten Shuranui. Miss. Shuranui happens to have the best eye among all Konoha genin when it comes to throwing weapons. In fact, there are rumors that she once used a senbon needle to pin a fly through its wings at 50 yards. For her opponent Miss Shuranui will have to face Naruto Uzumaki. Young Naruto is an orphan whose file is heavily classified for a genin. Which one of these two fine young genin will be advancing to the next round? Procter, you may start the match!"

Down in the arena Naruto gave Tenten a small head nod of respect. As he brought his head up from the bow Naruto said, "I hope you don't mind Miss Shuranui, but I won't be going easy on you for this fight." This statement of Naruto's caused a flicker of a smile to cross Tenten's face. She had expected that Naruto would most likely fight her all out. With a girlfriend like that Rei girl who apparently had zero tolerance for being treated like she couldn't fight a serious battle because she was a girl Tenten figured that any macho attitudes that Naruto may have possibly had were driven from him already.

Still, Tenten was happy that Naruto had said what he said just the same. All too often in her training Tenten had seen Gai or Lee unconsciously lighten the severity of their attacks and that annoyed her. Just because women tended to be a little weaker then men physically does not mean that a guy should automatically hold back when fighting a girl. As far as Tenten was concerned, the only reason why an opponent should hold back on her was if that person was either trying to teach her or if that person was an opponent trying to test her limits.

When Naruto and Tenten heard the proctor call the start of the match they both leaped backwards. Since he knew that Tenten was a ranged fighter, Naruto had decided to start off the match on a more defensive stance. A text book solution to the situation Naruto was in would have called for Naruto to quickly charge at Tenten closing the gap before she could use her weapons. However, Naruto had long ago thrown out that particular book and substituted his own. The Ranseigan would be able to give him enough of an advantage so he could avoid or deflect any of Tenten's projectiles. This would give Naruto the twofold advantage of being able to spot a good opening and allow both him and Tenten to show the judges that they deserved to be Chunin.

Tenten had immediately decided to start her assault on Naruto by throwing a rapid stream of kunai at him. She was throwing those kunai at such rapid speeds that the proctor actually blinked his eyes to make sure that Tenten wasn't using a genjutsu. However, Naruto calmly used Joshua and Gideon to calmly deflect each and every kunai that Tenten sent towards him.

While that level of skill on Naruto's part was surprising to Tenten she didn't let that discourage her. After all, Tenten had known in advance that she might have to face shinobi that could deflect her normal kunai. As she then jumped high into the air, Tenten called out to Naruto, "I'm impressed Naruto that you could deflect that attack. Let's see how you do against this one!" With that said Tenten whipped out a small summoning scroll and caused a small cloud of smoke to appear around her.

Naruto carefully looked up at the smoke cloud in puzzlement as if he was trying to discern what Tenten was trying to do. All of a sudden dozens of Senbon needles started to rain down on the field from the cloud that Tenten was in. Quickly making a set of handsigns Naruto called out, "Underworld Guardian Spikes!" However, Naruto's hair wasn't able to grow fast enough to form a shield of protection and he ended up getting perforated with the Senbon needles.

Just as she was coming out of her smoke cloud, Tenten saw Naruto fall to ground bleeding profusely from her attack. This sight sent a cold chill down Tenten's spine. She had never meant for something like this to happen! Her attack was only supposed to get pass Naruto's defenses and soften him up so she could then fight him hand to hand. That way she could advance and none of her fellow leaf ninjas got seriously hurt. During the preliminaries she had turned her opponent into a pincushion, but she had done it in such a way that he would be back up to full status in less then a month. No one was supposed to die in this match!

Tenten landed on her feet and look at where Naruto's body laid wishing that she could have rewind the time back just those few seconds. If she hadn't used the smoke to hide her attack, then she could have aimed more carefully at where Naruto had been. If she had done that, she could have made sure to hit Naruto's pressure points. Now, because of her arrogance, she would have to go up to that competitor's box and face Naruto's girlfriend. How was she supposed to go tell a fellow Leaf Ninja that she had killed the girl's boyfriend over something as stupid as a title?

Just as Tenten was about to turn to the proctor so she could be grimly told that she would be advancing to the next round, she felt cold steel touch the back of her neck. Tenten was so startled by the fact that a blade was against her neck that she didn't have time to react before a second blade was pressed against her belly. To Tenten's completely shocked mind she heard Naruto's voice saying, "Call the match Tenten."

There was only one thing that Tenten's shocked mind could at that point. In a trembling voice Tenten said, "I, Tenten Shuranui, forfeit the match." The proctor nodded his head and then officially stated that Naruto was the winner of the match by forfeit.

Once the announcement was official, Tenten felt Naruto withdraw his blades. Tenten then turned to look at where she had thought that Naruto had lain dead and was surprised to see a puddle of mud. She then heard Naruto, who had walked up next to her, calmly said, "When you were in the smoke I made an earth clone and replaced myself underground with the clone. All of the blood that you saw was due to the Shadow Clone Blood Justs, a family technique from my mother's clan."

After saying that, Naruto calmly walked towards the exit leaving a staring Tenten behind him. Looking at Naruto's receding figure Tenten could only stare in amazement. While she had known there would be some strong competition in the exams that could defeat her, she had never seriously considered that the competition would be in the form of younger leaf ninja. Still, Tenten could honestly say that she didn't truly mind being beaten by Naruto. He had treated her seriously as a ninja since the start of the match and had beaten her because he had the better plan.

* * *

There was a thirty minute break after Choji won his match against Kiba by growing into a giant and holding Kiba and Akamaru by the scruffs of their necks. During the break Naruto and Rei could be found in the otherwise empty contestant's box comfortably sitting next to each other on the floor. Rei currently had her eyes closed and her head was resting on Naruto's shoulder. She then gave Naruto's hand a little squeeze and she said with a little trepidation in her voice, "I'm scared Naruto. I honestly don't know if I'm strong enough to face Gaara."

Gently running his free hand through her hair, Naruto softly said, "It's alright to be scared Rei. Gaara's abilities scare me as well. However, I have full faith in you Rei that you can handle your next match. With your bloodline, your knowledge of seals, and your information on Jinchurriki I know that you are the worst opponent for Gaara to face besides a Kage. Just remember that you can always leave the match if you feel too uncomfortable with how things are going."

These words brought a small smile to Rei's face and she cuddled a little closer to Naruto. In a now calm voice Rei said, "I don't know what's with me today Naruto. First I jump down on that Lee kid because of what he said and now I was just nearly scared senseless because of my opponent."

Naruto just calmly nuzzled Rei's ear and reassuringly said, "Everything is alright Rei. I know that you normally keep a strong control over your emotions and to be honest that's one of the many things that I like about you. However, it's alright for you to have your emotions out for everyone to see once and awhile. Lee simply got under your skin because you don't like the idea of weak fangirl ninjas and he was unintentionally, or at least I think it was unintentionally, implying that you were in that group."

"As for your fear of Gaara, that's understandable as well Rei. He's shown himself to be very ruthless against his opponents so far and he is very powerful. The fact that it's likely that Gaara is a Jinchurriki only complicates the problem for you Rei. Your experiences with Jinchurriki so far have been reading your family chronicles and dealing with me. It's only natural that you would feel nervous before going into battle with a foe that you know is very powerful. Only a fool would go into battle against a person like Gaara and not be at least a little nervous."

Once Naruto stopped talking the young couple just enjoyed the comfortable silence between them. Rei in particular was enjoying the soothing aspect of the tender moment they were in. She felt all of her worries wash away from her and was thankful that she had such a wonderful boyfriend. Unlike what most of the girls' in her age group dreamed about when they imagined a perfect boyfriend, Naruto was not some shining knight on a white horse. Naruto also didn't just lavish her with praise about how she looked or go out of his way to give her fancy romantic dates and gifts.

Rei knew that most of those girls would be shocked and possibly outraged that Naruto's gifts had mostly consisted of uncommon, but still beautiful, wild flowers and a few whittled figurines that Naruto had made. Naruto's idea of a romantic evening was a long walk through the woods and then watching the stars from the Hokage Monument. The idea of going out to a fancy restaurant and then going to the best night clubs in the village probably never crossed Naruto's mind. As for comments about her looks, Naruto would usually just give her an appreciative glance once maybe twice during their dates and he would tell her that she looked great for the evening.

However to Rei, Naruto's romantic ideas were perfect. Those flowers and hand made wooden statues meant more to her then a string of pearls casually bought ever could. Rei had never really cared too much about how she looked and while she was happy that Naruto liked how she looked, she preferred that fact that Naruto was more concerned about her as a person instead of what she looked like. Their relationship was more like an old couple that had been around for a long time then a pair of teens who had been together for a little less then a month. Rei, unlike most of the girls in her age group, preferred this kind of a relationship over the fast pace whirlwind romance that was written about in novels which quickly burnt out in real life.

* * *

With the break over, the announcer called out as Rei and Gaara entered the arena, "We have now arrived at the Semi-finals everyone! In this match the elegant Rei Higurashi from Konoha will be facing off against the ruthless Gaara of the Desert from Suna. Will Rei be able to avenge her teammate's defeat or will Gaara plow through Rei on his way to the finals? Let's find out, Procter you can start the match."

Down in the area, Gaara was starting to grin like a maniac. In a slightly sadistic voice he said just loud enough for Rei to hear, "You're the key. With your pain, with your suffering, HE will be drawn out. The one by whose death I will prove my existence once and for ALL!" With that said, Gaara sent his sand rushing out towards Rei at break neck speed completely ignoring the fact that the match hadn't been officially called yet.

For her part Rei had reacted instantly as soon as Gaara started to talk by starting to move backwards. The instant she saw Gaara start to attack without waiting for the proctor Rei started to fear for her life. It was obvious to Rei that Gaara wanted to fight Naruto and he didn't care what he did to draw Naruto out into the field. Rei knew that she was no longer in a tournament; she was right in the middle of a war zone.

As the air rapidly filled with Gaara's ever increasing killing intent, Rei quickly thought about what she should do to make it out of this match. With her knowledge of seals there was the chance that she could create a seal that could calm Gaara down enough that she could make it through the match. However, making such a seal would take several seconds of concentration and those were seconds that Gaara obviously wasn't about to give her. Luckily for Rei, she had a way to get those precious seconds.

While nimbly dodging a pillar of Gaara's sand, Rei bit her thumb and called out in mid-jump, "Summoning Jutsu!" Instantly a cloud of smoke formed around Rei and she then appeared out of the smoke cloud riding on the back of a raven. As she clung to the raven's back using her chakra to anchor herself to the bird, Rei said, "Please keep away from our foe below us. I need time to create a seal to stop this madness before it goes too far." The raven Rei was riding simply nodded its head and took to the skies.

Down in the arena, Gaara was loosing his last holds on his sanity. His mother had told him about the one she wanted him to kill and she had told him that this person had a great deal of hidden power. Gaara had observed the one called Naruto who his mother was talking about. That boy's actions had showed Gaara that Naruto had some form of attachment to his current opponent. Thanks to his mother, Gaara knew that by hurting Rei he would be able to draw Naruto out.

Up in the sky Rei was lying on her back furiously working on a seal to stop Gaara. For ink, Rei had chosen to use her own blood that she had saturated with her chakra. This was done so that her seal would be extra powerful due to her bloodline. Finishing up on the last stroke of the needed Kanji, Rei then swung around so that she was sitting on her raven's shoulders. Rei then shouted out to her summoned ride, "The seal is complete! I now need you to get as close to Gaara as you can so that I can throw this seal at him."

The raven's only response was to sharply bank to the right towards Gaara. As the raven took her closer towards Gaara Rei felt her fear start to rise up in her. Part of her couldn't believe that she was doing something as reckless as flying strait towards an enraged Jinchurriki. Her family may have a history of trying to do as much as they could to help the poor souls that were cursed to become Jinchurriki, but even then the Higurashi knew that facing an enraged Jinchurriki head on was pretty stupid.

However, Rei knew that she needed to get in close enough so that she could send the seal at Gaara and make sure that he didn't dodge it. Her eye carefully trained on Gaara as she was carried through the air, Rei was watching for precisely the moment to throw the seal. Finally she spotted her opening and she smirked as she threw the seal at Gaara and order her summons to pull up. Thanks to excess chakra that was infused in the paper, the seal cut through the air and landed on Gaara's face.

Turning her head back to look at her handy work, all the color in Rei's face drained in an instant. Instead of seeing Gaara's sand falling to the ground and Gaara knocked unconscious like she was expecting, Rei saw something terrifying. The sand that Garra used was starting to coalesce on Gaara in the shape of the one tailed demon while brown lighting started to shoot out from around the seal Rei had created. For some reason, Rei's seal was apparently increasing Gaara's access to his biju instead of decreasing it and knocking him out.

Suddenly Rei remembered an old lesson on seals that her grandfather had told her once. "Oh no," Rei whispered to herself as she looked down at Gaara. "Don't tell me that the seal holding back the biju is an _odd _number seal." She had never even considered the possibility that Gaara's seal was an odd number seal because Rei knew that no person in their right mind would use such a seal on a living creature. It was a basic principal of seal making: odd for inanimate objects and even for living beings. Using an even number seal on an inanimate object or using an odd number seal on a living being would just cause the seal to degrade and mutate unpredictably.

Since a Jinchurriki sacrifice can only be a few days old at max for even the weakest demon, Gaara's seal had to have been degrading and mutating for years. Rei knew that it was possible to use an even number seal on a person who had an odd number seal in order to stop the effects of the odd number seal. However, the seal she had used wasn't that sort of seal and even if her seal was it was inadvisable to mess with a seal that was in such a state of decay.

There was only one thing that Rei could think of doing as she watched Gaara's demonic transformation. Gaara was now entirely covered in his demonic sand and his new demonic form was rapidly growing by the second. Rei cupped her hands to her mouth and screamed out at the top of her lungs, "EVERYONE LEAVE THE STATIUM NOW!"

* * *

All over the stadium everyone had been feeling the effects of Gaara's massive killing intent. Most of those civilians and ninjas from Konoha who could remember the Kyuubi's attack 14 years ago had started to become paralyzed with fear. The all knew that it was the power of a biju that they were feeling and they were terrified. Kyuubi's assault on the village had cost Konoha over a third of the ninja core along with the Yondaime. None of them wanted to even try to imagine what another demonic assault in the middle of the village would cost them.

As soon as Rei shouted out her warning, pandemonium broke loose in the stands. The civilians started to run towards the exits screaming their heads off. Many of the genin, at least those who weren't running towards the exits as fast as the civilians, were hurriedly helping those civilians who were too scared to move escape. The higher level ninjas, many of who had previous experience with handling demonic killing intent, started to unleash a barrage of jutsus. They had nearly lost their home once before to a biju, they would not allow their home to be lost this time.

* * *

Up in the Kage stand Sarutobi turned to look at the Kazekage and Sarutobi saw the Kazekage's fear. In a scathing voice Sarutobi said, "You knew something like this could happen didn't you Kazekage."

The Kazekage turned to Sarutobi and shot back, "Of course I knew that something like this would happen you old fool. It's happen twice already before! However, if your stupid little genin hadn't done whatever the hell it was she did then this wouldn't have happened to my weapon for another 3 to 4 years! Besides, I would have killed the thing before it gotten to this point. Now instead of getting S rank missions out of my weapon I have to make another one."

It took all of Sarutobi's strength of will not to puke or kill his fellow Kage. As a father and as a human being Sarutobi couldn't believe that the Kazekage could talk like that about his own flesh and blood. It was one thing to create a Jinchurriki like Minato did with Naruto in order to keep a demon from harming people. However, the Kazekage had just admitted that he had turned his own son into a Jinchurriki so he could have a money making weapon.

Putting his companion's poor parenting skills to the side for the moment, Sarutobi thought about what to do to defend Konoha. In all honesty he couldn't really think of anything that he could do that would be useful. The only thing that he could think to do at the moment was to pray and hope that a solution would present itself.

* * *

Naruto looked out from the contestant box at growing Shukaku and cursed at himself. He had been so busy observing Rei with his remote viewing ability to make sure that she wasn't hurt that he hadn't used his prescience abilities to gain an early warning that this would happen. If he had thought ahead and used his prescience abilities then he could have stepped in and warn Rei not to use the seal. In an indirect way, this demonic attack was his fault.

Removing his sunglasses from his face, Naruto took a second to stare at the glasses. Why did he really have those sunglasses in the first place? Was it really so he could surprise people when he used the Ranseigan or was it something else? Could it be that he was subconsciously afraid of what other people thought about his abilities and him? Had he been hiding his true abilities out of fear that people would reject him?

Naruto then crushed his sunglasses with a single hand and he activated his Ranseigan. No more would he hide his abilities from everyone but those closest to him. If those around him rejected him because of his abilities oh well; he had friends, family, and a love now. He would fight with all his might to protect those people who were so precious to him and he would never stop and worry if someone else besides those people saw his abilities.

In a calm voice Naruto called out, "Releasing binding seal level to level 8." Instantly Naruto felt the immense power that his seals were holding back start to pump through his being. A small light pink manifestation of chakra started to emanate from Naruto while at the same time his jacket came unzipped and the ends of it started to wave around as if in a breeze.

Naruto confidently stepped out of the contestants' box and then majestically jumped up onto the roof of the box. Everyone who was still in the stadium paused for a moment and they turn and looked at Naruto. Many of them were wondering about the strange pink aura that was emanating from Naruto and what it might mean. In a clear voice that cut through the silence and suffocating atmosphere of the stadium Naruto said, "Gaara. If it's a fight with me that you want then it's a fight you shall have!"


	15. Chapter 15

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto then Itachi would have owned Sasuke in their to the death fight.

Naruto looked out on the demonic visage of Shukaku and yet he felt no fear at the sight. It wasn't because Naruto was foolhardy or believed that he would defeat the possessed Gaara. Rather, it was because in that moment Naruto knew what he had to do and placed his trust in his training. Also Naruto knew that even as inexperienced as he was, he was one of the few people who had the power to stop this demonic attack.

Using his Ranseigan Naruto quickly determined the best course of action he could do and jumped into the air. While in the air Naruto quickly made a series of handsigns and called out, "Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld." The pink aura surrounding Naruto dimmed for just a second due to the power that Naruto put into his jutsu. All the ninjas in the stadium looked on in surprise as almost the entire arena was transformed by the jutsu. As Naruto landed on railing between the seats and the arena below, he made an unknown handsign and said, "Ninja Art: Whirlpool of the Underworld!"

Slowly the muddy swamp water below Naruto started to spin and got increasingly faster as Naruto held the jutsu's handsign. Whirlpool of the Underworld was one of Jiraiya's original jutsus and was designed to complement Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld. By transforming the resulting swamp from the first jutsu into a whirlpool, Whirlpool of the Underworld was able to capture enemies that might have otherwise escaped from the Swamp of the Underworld jutsu. Jiraiya normally just stuck with the Swamp of the Underworld because of the high chakra cost that the Whirlpool of the Underworld had and the fact that most things couldn't escape the swamp.

However, Biju manifestations fell under that small list of creatures that could escape from the Swamp. Naruto had seen this fact and had thus used the Whirlpool of the Underworld to prevent Shukaku from escaping. As Naruto watched his jutsu take effect he couldn't help but grin. Shukaku now had to use a good portion of his yokai just to keep from being sucked completely into the muddy whirlpool. Also Shukaku now had trouble finding material to turn into sand because the whirlpool itself was preventing Sukaku from using the ground beneath him as new sand.

While holding the final handseal of his jutsu in place, Naruto quickly scanned the arena. Upon seeing that many of the ninjas in the arena were looking at the sight of the trapped Shukaku in shocked silence Naruto started to get annoyed. He then yelled out at the top of his lungs, "How about a little help here!" This shook many of the ninjas out of their stupor and very soon they started to attack Shukaku with various long ranged jutsus.

Naruto was doing his best to sustain the Whirlpool of the Underworld because he knew that it would help to buy more time for someone else to figure out how to defeat Shukaku. While Naruto knew he had the power to possibly defeat Shukaku, he did not want to try and actually subdue the great beast. Any battle between him and the one tailed demon would end in a Pyrrhic victory at best due to the fact that such a battle would be a power verses power battle. It would be safer for Konoha if Naruto left dealing with Shukaka up to Jiraiya, Katshuito, or even Rei.

* * *

About ninety degrees from Naruto, Jiraiya and Katshuito were stoically looking at Shukaku as various ninjas around them futilely tried to defeat the demon. Lenore, who had been summoned by Rei in order to tell her brother what had happened with seal that she had created, was resting on Katshuito's shoulder. Jiraiya had his hands across his chest scowled a bit and said, "Damn that blasted Kazekage. What was that man thinking purposefully creating a jinchurriki and then using the wrong type of seal to hold the demon? If he doesn't die in this attack I'll personally arrange a little 'accident' for him."

Katshuito place his hand on the enraged toad hermit and calmly said, "While I agree that Kazekage must be disposed of because of his actions, now is not the time to worry about that. For now Jiraiya, you and I must concentrate on finding a way to defeat this demon. Besides us Rei is the only person currently here who has the skill to seal away this demon and according to Lenore here Rei won't be attempting to seal away the beast any time soon. My sister is currently too afraid that she will do more harm than good because of her last attempt at using a seal against Gaara."

Jiraiya nodded his head and said, "I agree with you Katshuito. However, I honestly can't think of what we can do to contain Shukaku. If Skukaku was completely free or if he was trapped in a normal seal I would be able to instantly figure out what to due. But this is completely different, how are we supposed to deal with a partially free demon held back by a decaying seal of which we know nothing except for the fact that it's the wrong type and is decaying?"

Both seal masters had their musings cut short by a demonic roar that pierced the entire stadium. Apparently Shukaku had decided to stop trying to forcefully escape Naruto's jutsu and was taking another approach. The sand demon was now launching bits of his sand body at the stadium to kill the ninjas that were attacking him. For a second Jiraiya and Katshuito had been scared that Naruto would either be forced to stop using his jutsu thereby freeing the beast or Naruto would be kill due to him being a sitting target. Luckily two nearby jonins had seen this problem and fixed it by moving next to Naruto so they could create a protective jutsu around Naruto.

* * *

Temari was currently lying on the cold concrete of one of the stadium exits terrified for her life. As soon as she had seen that Gaara decided to go all out on that Konoha ninja Rei Temari had started to make her way out of the stadium. However, Temari's escape attempt was cut short because Temari had fallen and broken her ankle when she had first felt Shukaku's yokai. Forcing herself to ignore the pain she was in, Temari continued to crawl towards the exit. Unfortunately Temari didn't manage to escape yet because two of the metal pipes had fallen from the ceiling and had landed on her lower legs.

All alone in that hallway and while feeling the shaking of the stadium, Temari started to despair. The pain coming from her legs was making it hard for Temari to think let alone try and remove the heavy pipes from them. Slowly a single tear began to roll down her cheek. Was this really it for her Temari started to wonder. Was she to die alone in this passageway as an indirect casualty of her brother, the very same brother who she had failed to prevent becoming a monster?

Temari was startled out of this melancholy by the sound of metal restrains weakening. Looking up in fear Temari saw that the sound was coming from a set of pipes that were right above her head. With a terrified and breathless gaze Temari watched in slow motion as one of the pipes came lose and started to fall. This, Temari was sure, was the end of her. If that pipe didn't kill her immediately the resulting injuries would surely do her in.

As the pipe fell towards Temari's head a voice suddenly called out, "Fire Style: Phoenix Claw!" Temari then watched as a humanoid blur ran past her with what appeared to be a sword of fire and cut the falling pipe. That pipe was instantly severed in half and the two pieces of it fell harmlessly next to both sides of Temari's face. With the falling pipe taken care of, Temari's rescuer sheathed his sword and turned around so that Temari could see his face. To Temari's surprise her rescuer was none other then Iori Kusanagi.

Temari then watched as Iori stumbled back a bit and braced himself against the wall opposite of her. There was visible sweat running down Iori's face and he was breathing very heavily. "Still weak from my match," Iori gasped out as he looked at Temari. He then took a moment to finish collecting his breath before continuing on. "I came back this way to make sure that no one was left behind. Good thing I did eh?" As Iori said that last part he gave Temari a slightly roguish grin.

Despite the immense pain she was in and the seriousness of the situation, Temari couldn't help but smile a little bit at Iori's poor joke. However, the good mood from Iori's joke quickly left Temari when she felt a burst of pain from her legs. Temari then looked Iori in the eye and grunted out, "Alright mister hero. How about you get these pipes off my legs and get the two of us out of here?"

Iori nodded his head, walked over to where the pipes were laying on Temari's legs, and leaned down. In a very careful, but appearing to be careless, manner Iori removed the two pipes from Temari's legs. He then turned 90 degrees and scooped up Temari in his arms. On seeing the astonished look on Temari's face Iori just gave an 'I don't care' snort and said, "I'm no medic, but I can tell that there is no way that your going to be able to walk out of here on your own. Since it would be pointless to just leave you here after saving you from that falling pipe, I'm just going to have to carry you out."

With a quiet Temari bridal style in his hands, Iori turned around and started to walk out of the corridor. Iori hadn't made it twenty feet from where Temari had been lying when he saw something that caused him to scowl. The exit out of stadium had collapse and in his current condition there was no way that Iori could create his own exit from the rubble. He then looked down at Temari and said, "I don't know about you princess, but I'd rather try my chances in the lion's den then die down here like a rat." Immediately after saying that, Iori turned around and started walking down the hallway towards the seating of the arena.

* * *

As Naruto held Shukaku in place, he was also gazing as far into the future as he could in order to gather Intel. Suddenly Naruto saw something that he just instinctively knew had to be acted upon. However, Naruto was immediately confronted with the question of how was he supposed to convey the information without alerting Shukaku? A stray thought caused Naruto just a second later to look at his hands and gave him an idea of how he could get the information across.

Before Naruto and Rei had preformed the Feng Shui Fusion Ritual, Rei had explained that the ritual would graft part of their chakra network into the other person. That was one of the primary reasons why Rei was able to use the ritual to prevent Naruto from using too much purified demon chakra at any particular time. Also, seals allowed the two of them to know when the other was in danger. Naruto's sudden idea was to use the seals that linked him and Rei together in a completely different way.

While still making sure that he was keeping the Whirlpool of the Underworld stable, Naruto directed a tiny fraction of his charka towards the Feng Shui Fusion seals. Then Naruto used every ounce of chakra control that he had Naruto started to send his diverted chakra into the seals in bursts. After that was done, Naruto was left waiting and hoping that Rei would be able to figure out what he was trying to tell her.

Rei was riding on the back of her raven summon circling around Shukaku when she felt a series of pulses coming from the seals on her hands. While Rei was shocked at feeling the pulses, she had been able keep her wits and she realized that the pulses were battle code. The message that Rei had felt from her seals was extremely simple: go to grid 4567. Rei placed her trust in Naruto's message and said to her summon, "Bank right now and fly about mid-level around the demon."

The raven Rei was riding silently responded to Rei's command and went to the desired point. Just as Rei and her summon arrived at the location Shukaku let out a demonic chuckle and said, "Freedom! I'm finally free of this worthless human." With that said, Shukaku spitted out Gaara's body right in Rei's direction. Rei quickly figured out why Naruto wanted her to be in this spot and grabbed Gaara's body out of the air. As Rei secured Gaara's body she could barely keep herself from crying.

There were dozens of lacerations of all different sizes across Gaara's entire body. If it wasn't for the fact that Gaara's wounds were apparently cauterized he would have likely bled to death within seconds. To Rei's surprise as she looked at Gaara she found a single chakra thread connecting Gaara's heart to Shukaku. Rei then immediately checked to see if Gaara still had a pulse. If Gaara was still alive, then the chakra thread connecting him to Shukaku would mean that the demon wasn't completely free yet like he had claimed. After confirming that Gaara was alive, Rei ordered her summon to fly to her brother and Jiraiya. Hopefully those two could figure out something that could be done.

* * *

Iori walked out of the exit with Temari still in his hands and tried to spot a safe way for him to evacuate the stadium. A quick assessment showed that there was apparently no safe way for him to leave the stadium in his condition while carrying Temari. There was no way in hell that Iori would leave a practically defenseless person to almost certain death in order to save his own skin. Thus Iori started to look around to try and find a reasonably secure place that he could hid with Temari.

Very quickly Iori decided that the best location that he could go to at the moment was next to Jiraiya. Iori, while being extremely careful not to move Temari's legs, hunched down and walked towards Jiraiya. Since Iori knew he couldn't defend himself or Temari against Shukaku, he hoped to just the benches of the stadium to hide his movement from the demon. Just as Iori came to where Jiraiya and Katshuito were standing, Rei arrived on her summon carrying Gaara.

When Temari saw Gaara's mutilated body being carefully laid on a bench she felt her heart break and tears started to roll down her cheeks. Temari had been deathly afraid of her youngest brother for years, but she had always loved him dearly. For years Temari had been trying to bring her little brother back from the murderous shell that had formed due to their scumbag of a father. Unfortunately her father's routine assassination attempts on Gaara and Gaara's forced isolation from the family that _dear _old dad created had made Temari's attempts practically worthless. Now it seemed that Temari no longer have the chance to try and save her little brother.

Iori, who had glanced down at Temari in order to check on her health, instantly spotted her tears and tried to think about what he should do. Having little brothers himself, Iori knew that Temari must be in a lot of pain at seeing Gaara like he was. However, comforting others had never been Iori's strong point so he was completely lost as to how he could help out the young woman in his arms. Iori then decided that he would completely mess up any verbal attempts at calming Temari down and just carefully placed her on the bench next to where Gaara was lying.

While Iori was placing Temari on the bench, the two seal masters and Rei were fiercely debating about what they should do to stop Shukaku. The most practical solution that they could think of, resealing Shukaku into Gaara was impossible. Gaara's body was so badly damaged that the shock of forcing Shukaku back into the boy would only kill him and release Shukaku again. Trying to seal Shukaku into an object or another person would be pointless due to the fact that the demon was still connected to Gaara.

Suddenly Rei snapped her fingers and said, "Why don't we seal Gaara and Shukaku together?" Jiraiya and Katshuito just looked at Rei with blank faces forcing her to explain her out of the box idea. "Gaara is the only person or thing that we can seal Shukaku into for now and Gaara can't survive the resealing process. If Gaara was dead we still wouldn't be able to seal Shukaku for several hours due to the remaining effects of Gaara's chakra and the original seal clinging to Shukaku. What I'm suggesting is that we reseal Shukaku into Gaara while at the same time we seal Gaara into an object."

The two seal masters turned to look at each other and silently considered Rei's idea. They then turned back towards Rei and Jiraiya started to speak for both himself and Katshuito. "Rei, that plan of yours is practically insane! We would have to synchronize the two sealings down to the second in order to pull this plan of your's off. Even if we managed to pull off this crazy idea of yours, Konoha could still be in danger. Not even the Dead Demon Consuming Seal can completely lock away two souls into a single object. Either Gaara's or Shukaku's consciousness would still be able to interact slightly with the world through whatever object they would be bound into. What's more, the only way that we could insure that it was Gaara and not Shukaku who could interact with the world would be to bind the object that the two would be sealed into by this idea of yours to the bloodline of a close family member of Gaara's."

"Use me," Jiraiya's little monologue was interrupted and everyone there minus Gaara who was unconscious turned to look at where Temari was sitting. Temari looked Jiraiya in the eye and firmly said while clenching her teeth in pain, "I'm Gaara's sister. If it's the only way to end this nightmare then take my battle fan, seal the demon and my brother into it, and use my blood to insure that Gaara's mind is the one that interacts with the world."

Jiraiya gave Temari a very serious glare and said, "Are you completely sure? If we do this then there is no going back. You, your children, and your children's children will forever be bound to that fan of yours ensuring that Shukaku does not emerge into the world. We can't even predict exactly how Gaara will interact with the world if we do this besides the fact that he will be able to interact in some form or another. Are you willing to risk something like Gaara possibly possessing you?"

Without backing down an inch Temari firmly glared back at Jiraiya and said, "If I were to become possessed by Gaara then so be it. My father is the one who caused this mess in the first place and I will clean it up. Besides, my other brother Kankuro would never volunteer to do this. Now get what ever you need to create the seal and get to it!"

Jiraiya, Rei, and Katshuito were quickly able to set up everything that they would need for the complex sealing that they were about to do. As the least experience seal master, Rei was given the 'easiest' job: placing the seals on Temari's fan that would bound the Suna ninja to the fan. Due to the nature of the seals, Rei had to write the seals with a kunai that had its point covered in Temari's blood. At the same time Jiraiya and Katshuito were placing a giant seal all over Gaara's unconscious body. Once all the seals were written, Temari's battle fan was placed on Gaara's chest and Jraiya and Katshuito took their places on both sides of Gaara.

Both Jiraiya and Katshuito looked each other in the eyes and then began the sealing process. They went through the same handsigns at the same time and then said with one voice: "Dual Four Point Seal Merger." Suddenly Gaara's body started to glow while streaks of lighting traveled across the chakra string connecting Gaara and Shukaku. As soon as the lighting hit Shukaku the giant demon started to shriek and howler in pain. The lighting very quickly started to encase Shukaku and everyone's amazement actually started to shrink the demon. Then there was bright flash of light and Shukaku disappeared from the arena.

* * *

"Where, where am I?" Gaara uttered in complete confusion as he looked out on the sandy beach in front of him. The last thing that Gaara could remember was being in Konoha's stadium and letting mo-, no Shukaku out. Being here was a very strange experience for Gaara. For the first ever that Gaara could remember he no longer had Shukaku constantly whispering in his ears. As much as Gaara didn't want to admit, this made this place far better then any other place he had ever been in.

Gaara was brought out of his serene musing by a pair of arms lovingly wrapping themselves around his neck. Then to Gaara's surprise he heard his sister's voice coming from behind him. "I'm" so glad that I found you in here Gaara. It was taking me so long to find you that I was starting to get worried that something had gone wrong." Temari then let Gaara out of her hug and walked around so that the two of them could talk face to face.

This friendliness that Temari was showing confusing Gaara. While Gaara now knew that he had wanted to be loved and accepted by his family, he was bewildered by Temari's sudden friendly attitude towards him. Shouldn't she be scare for her life when around him as Gaara remembered when he had last seen Temari? In an innocent questioning voice that he haddn't used since his uncle had tried to kill him Gaara asked, "What's going on sis? Where are we?"

Temari's face took on a sad expression as she answered her baby brother. "Something very wrong happened during your match with the Konoha ninja Rei. Shukaku was able to escape Gaara and you were dying from the demon's escape. In order to save Konoha, the Toad Sannin Jiraiya and two others sealed you and the demon into our mother's battle fan. Don't worry Gaara you won't be alone anymore; I've been bound to the battle fan to insure that it's you and not Shukaku that can interact with the outside world. This place from what I can tell is a place where you and can talk. As long as I or one of my descendents is alive you will never be alone."

Gaara looked deeply into Temari's eyes and saw that she was telling the truth. While a part of Gaara was shocked and hurt that he had been trapped in order to defeat Shukaku, another part of him was happy. He wasn't alone anymore because his sister was with him. In a very timid and unsure manner Gaara then gave Temari a hug and said, "And I'll always insure that you are protected big sis." The two sand siblings silently enjoyed the feeling of truly being a family for the first time even though it was in very unusual circumstances.

* * *

Once the havoc of Shukaku's attack on Konoha's stadium was over, the entire village just seemed to go into a deep slumber for the rest of the day. Shukaku's attack might have failed with relatively low casualties, but the village just seemed to need to go into a recuperative rest. Even the sky seemed to support Konoha's feeling of tiredness with its clouds and occasional rain drops. Rei was walking down the practically abandoned streets of Konoha towards Naruto's apartment. She was still covered in the dirt and sweat that had accumulated during the exam and subsequent battle. This was because Rei had decided to head strait over to Naruto's apartment after her quick field check-up.

When Rei got to Naruto's apartment she firmly knocked on the door and hoped that Naruto was home. The reason why Rei had headed strait over here was because of the fact that she had seen Sarutobi pull Naruto over to side while she was being given a quick check-up. Once Sarutobi had finished saying whatever it was that he had told Naruto, Naruto's eyes seemed to have lost their usual sparkle. Rei had come over here because she wanted to help comfort Naruto with whatever was distressing him.

After waiting a few minutes and not receiving any answer, Rei decided to use the spare key that Naruto had given her to open the door. When Rei walked through the door she was immediately greeted by the sight of a depressed Naruto sitting on his couch starring blankly at a book that was on his coffee table. This dreary sight caused Rei a great deal of pain and made her all the more determined to help Naruto out. Rei then quietly walked over to the couch, sat down next to Naruto, and gently wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck. In a very soothing and loving voice Rei whispered into Naruto's ear, "Tell me what's wrong Naruto. Let me help you get through whatever it is that's bothering you."

Naruto then buried his head into Rei's shoulder and hair and started to cry. Slowly as Rei comforted Naruto she was able to get the whole story. Sarutobi had pulled Naruto over to the side in order to tell Naruto that his father was Minato Namikaze. Apparently Sarutobi was going to announce Naruto's linage to the village at the same time that the new chunins were announced.

Once Rei got over her surprise that Naruto was the Yondaime's son, she became confused over Naruto's actions. After gently moving Naruto so that she could look him in the eye Rei said, "Why are you so upset Naruto? This is wonderful news. You've finally found out who both your parents are and soon the whole village will know."

"That's just the problem Rei," Naruto replied with puffed out eyes. "All my life I have been treated as Konoha's dirty little secret by most of the villagers. Once those people find out who my father was what are they going to do? I'll tell you what their going to do, their either going to deny that the Yondaime is my father because there is no way in their minds that 'the demon brat' could be related to a hero like the Yondaime or their going try and kiss up to me. No matter what happens I'll never be seen as me; I'll always either be the Yondaime's son or the Demon Brat."

Rei slowly leaned forward to kiss Naruto on the lips while at the same time she gave Naruto a hug. The kiss lasted for a few seconds before Rei broke it off to whisper into Naruto's ear. "You have always been and will always be Naruto to me my love. No matter what the villagers may think of you I will always think of you like that. To the Hokage, Iruka, Iori, Chozua, Konohamaru, and many others you are not the Yondaime's son or the Demon Brat. To us you are Naruto, our friend, student, family, or love depending on the person."

A comfortable silence descended upon the room for a few minutes after Rei had whispered to Naruto. Rei was the one who broke the silence by saying, "Alright then Naruto. You're still dirty from the battle so I want you to march into your bathroom and take a shower. While you're doing that I'll go and order us something to eat."

Naruto nodded his head and then took a good look at Rei. In a very unsure and nervous manner Naruto then said, "What about you Rei? I, I mean you're covered in dirt as well."

In her usual caring and yet at time slightly stoic manner Rei said, "I won't be joining in the shower Naruto." Rei then watched as Naruto become an impossible to understand gibbering mess and then she shook her head slightly. She silenced Naruto with a quick peck on the lips and then said, "I always carry a complete outfit with me in one of my storage seals. Once I've called in our dinner and you have finished with your shower then I'll take a shower as well. Now go and take your shower mister."

Naruto quickly responded to Rei's instructions and headed off to his apartment's bathroom. In the meanwhile Rei went over to Naruto's phone and called one of the local take out places that she knew about. Once Rei's order had been confirmed and she was told that dinner would be delivered in thirty to forty minutes she headed back over to the couch. The fact that Rei was planning on taking a shower in Naruto's apartment and the fact that she was completely alone except for Naruto didn't bother Rei in the slightest. During long term missions she like all other female ninjas had to bathe while her male teammates were nearby. Besides, Naruto was a complete gentleman and Rei knew she could trust him not to accidentally walk in on her while she showered or to use his bloodline to get a free show.

With the food ordered and Naruto in the shower there was currently nothing for Rei to do at the moment. To keep herself busy Rei started to look around Naruto's kitchen/living room. Rei's eyes soon came to rest on the book that was lying on the coffee table in front of her. She then gently picked up the book and read its cover out loud, "Uzumaki Clan Codex." For a moment Rei wanted to put the book back down since it was obviously a private book of Naruto's. However, Rei's curiosity got the better of her this time causing her to open the book and start reading.


	16. Chapter 16

Disclamer: I don't own Naruto. If you foolishly try to claim that I do I will tell Gai that you are being seriously unyouthful. (That scares even me so please, please, please don't make me do that!)

About a week after Shukaku's little gig in Konoha's stadium Team Chouza along with Shikamaru and Hinata were assembled in Sarutobi's office. The old Hokage was sitting at his desk and was calmly taking care of some paperwork on his desk while the five genins waited for him to say something. After a minute or so of making them wait Sarutobi looked up from his desk, folded his hands, and started to speak. "I am sure that each of you is probably wondering why I asked for you to come here. Well I won't waste your time and I'll get strait to the point. After looking at the examiners' notes on you five and considering your actions during the Shukaku incident I have decided that you five show the necessary skills needed to become Chunin."

Sarutobi got out of his seat, grabbed the chunin jackets that he had behind his desk out of view, and then started to pass the jackets out. With a smile on his face Sarutobi said, "It is always my pleasure to be able to hand these jackets out. As you all might realize one day if you decide to take on any students, there are very few things in this life that are more wonderful then seeing someone reach their potential and knowing that you helped them to achieve that. I have tried my best to ensure that all the ninjas of Konoha can achieve their potential and I like to consider all of the ninjas here as my students in one form or another."

The reactions that each person had to receiving their new jacket and the praise that Sarutobi had given them were different. Hinata had lowered her head and her cheeks were red with embarrassment. Shikamaru had put on his jacket with a sigh and muttered "so troublesome." Iori put his jacket on in a rather gruff and I-don't-care manner, but his eyes showed how proud he was to become a chunin. Rei, in her usual manner, calmly put her jacket on and gave Sarutobi a small head bow. Finally Naruto's face was practically a beacon of joy as he eagerly put on his jack.

Once Sarutobi had been able to get a good look at all five of his newest Chunin he said, "You five will have the rest of the week off as per regulations. When you go back on duty Shikamaru and Hinata will rejoin their old genin teams. You two will have to do a good number of D rank missions still because half of your teammates are still genin. Don't worry about it too much though because your teams will be able to go on more C ranked missions. As for Team Chouza, you three will either be doing C ranked missions by yourselves or B ranked missions with Chouza."

With that said Sarutobi returned to his desk and politely signaled with his hands that the five chunins were dismissed. Sarutobi then pulled out a report that Jiraiya had placed on his desk and began to read it. Over all, Sarutobi did not like the looks of what was happening in the west. If what Jiraiya was reporting was true, and Sarutobi was willing to be his entire porn collection that it was, then things in the west were only a hair's breath away from triggering a fourth ninja war.

Sarutobi then pulled out Jiraiya's personal report on Naruto and began to read it. Jiraiya's report showed that Naruto was a rather powerful young ninja with a high learning curve and what seemed to be almost unlimited potential. Along with Earth Release: Swamp of the Underword and Ninja Art: Whirlpool of the Underworld Jiraiya stated that Naruto had learned the Rasengan. This fact was very surprising to Sarutobi considering that it had taken Jiraiya almost half a year to learn the move. But then again, Naruto seemed to specialize in pulling off the impossible.

In a more serious manner, Sarutobi placed Jiraiya's report on his desk and turned to look at the photo of Minato hanging in the office. Hidden behind that photo was Minato's greatest legacy to Naruto: the only known scroll in existence that contained instructions for the infamous Flying Thunder God Jutsu. Only Naruto could open the scroll because Minato had rigged it with enough specially designed explosive notes to wipe out Konoha if anyone but Naruto tried to open the scroll. Even using a sample of Naruto's blood wouldn't work because Minato had apparently created a chakra sensing seal that added a new layer of complexity to the seal.

As Sarutobi looked at that photo and thought about the scroll hidden behind it, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret. While the reasons he had told Chouza about why he had created Team Chouza were correct and were mostly why the team was formed how it was, there was another reason why that team had been fashioned in such a manner. Konoha would need new heroes to help inspire future generations and show them what it truly meant to be a leaf ninja. Team Chouza was to fill that role and be a sort of Nidame Sannin to replace the original broken trio.

Naturally Sarutobi hadn't and would never manipulate the members of Team Chouza or any other ninja under his command. He had simply seized an opportunity that had arisen and had trusted his gut instinct. Once Naruto and his teammates showed that Sarutobi's gut had been correct, the old leader had simply given them a few missions that offered the team the chance to reach their potential.

Focusing even harder on Minato's image, Sarutobi wrestled with a very serious question that no matter how it turned out would leave him with a very sour taste in his mouth. Minato had specifically stated that Naruto was NOT to be given the Flying Thunder God Jutsu until the boy was a jonin. This was because Minato wanted to make sure that Naruto would have the maturity to handle a jutsu that could potentially lay low entire divisions of ninjas. The Rasengan Minato hadn't been as worried about because it wasn't nearly as dangerous as the Flying Thunder God could be.

However, Sarutobi was seriously considering breaking his word even though the very thought made him ill and giving Naruto the Flying Thunder God now. With how things in the west were going Konoha would need a little extra insurance. Konoha would need the Yellow Flash. Naruto having that jutsu most likely wouldn't affect the chance of a war breaking out in the west. But if Naruto had that jutsu and could use it properly he could possibly scare Iwa into staying out of any possible wars with Konoha. Having Iwa stay out of a possible future war could very well prevent the current crisis from escalating into a fourth great ninja war.

What was he to do? If Sarutobi gave Naruto the Flying Thunder God jutsu now he would be breaking his solemn word. But if he didn't give Naruto the jutsu then he would potentially be responsible for many of his ninjas' deaths. Sarutobi gave Minato's photo one last glance and then he sadly shook his head. "I'm so sorry my old friend," Sarutobi said in a mournful tone, "but hopefully you will understand. As Hokage the village's safety comes before personal wants and needs." Sarutobi then looked away from the picture as if he no longer felt worthy to look at it. As soon as Jiraiya came back into town, Sarutobi promised to himself, Naruto would be given the Flying Thunder God Jutsu.

* * *

Naruto, Rei, and Iori were at their usual training ground practicing. Today was the trio's last day of leave before they started their duties as Chunin and they had wanted to get in some group training. Currently the boys were sparring with each other while Rei sat off to the side slightly and practiced creating more complex seals. After Rei put the finishing touch on the seal she was making she looked up and watched the boys spar before her. She continued to discreetly watch the match for a few minutes until Naruto activated the Ranseigan. The sight of the Ranseigan reminded Rei about what she had read in the Uzumaki Clan Codex and she started to blush before she turned her gaze away.

Rei had only read a small section of the Codex, but it was the section on the Ranseigan. Thanks to her hearing and a little bit of luck Rei had been alerted to Naruto coming out of shower and she had been able to put the book back without being caught. Only now Rei was starting to wish that Naruto had caught her. Thanks to her recently acquired knowledge about Naruto's bloodline Rei had been unintentionally creating a wall between her and Naruto. She didn't mean to create the wall between them and she certainly didn't want it to exist. However, the knowledge and the guilt that Rei felt over gaining that information was causing her to create the wall.

This recent barrier between Rei and Naruto hadn't been noticed by any of their friends or families. They still kissed and they still held each other's hands like only two people in love could. It was just, that there was this underlying tension that seemed to have developed between them. What made the whole thing worse for Rei was that Naruto seemed to barely notice the tension while she was constantly suffocating in it. In an ironic way it was fitting that she was suffering do to something she had caused because of her curiosity.

Forcing her thoughts back to the matter at hand, Rei returned to working on her seals. She continued to work on the seals for the next hour and she finally stopped when she heard the boy's sheath their blades. Rei then looked up and noticed that Naruto and Iori were dusting themselves off. Iori then started talking loud enough that Rei could listen in on the conversation. "Good spar Naruto. I'd like to continue, but I promised the twerps that I'll help them out on their swordsmanship." Without saying anything more Iori then left Naruto and Rei alone in the field.

As Rei looked on Naruto calmly started to collect his gear and she made a sudden decision. The barrier that she had been creating between herself and Naruto needed to be taken down. In order to do that Rei would have to get the guilt off of her chest and confess what she had done to Naruto. There was a good chance that Naruto might become upset at her for reading his clan Codex, but at least it would be out in the air. Hopefully they would be able to quickly repair the damage that her curiosity had caused.

Rei got up off of the ground, quickly straitened out the wrinkles in her dress, and walked over to Naruto. When Rei got within arms' length of Naruto she nervously and rather meekly said, "Uh Naruto, can we talk?" Naruto stopped in the middle of putting his jacket back on and turned to face Rei. Now that Naruto was looking at her Rei felt even more nervous then she had been. Nevertheless she managed to say, "The other day when I was at your apartment, I, uh, I took a peak at your clan codex."

Once Rei managed to say that, she hung her head in shame and embarrassment. Naruto didn't say anything and the ever increasing silence felt like a weight to Rei that was pressing down on her. Finally when Rei thought she couldn't take it anymore Naruto sighed and calmly said, "So you read my clan codex. I was wondering when you would confess that to me."

Rei whipped her head up so fast to look at Naruto in surprise that she almost sprained her neck muscles. She then lost her normal calm manner and stuttered out in surprise, "H-how did you know?" It just didn't make any sense to Rei; she had placed the codex back exactly were it was before she had started reading it. Also, she had been calmly sitting on the couch when Naruto walked into the room so there couldn't have been any indication from her body that she just placed the book back. The only thing that Rei could think of at moment to explain who Naruto knew was that he had been observing her with his Ranseigan, but that didn't make any sense either. Naruto didn't use the Ranseigan except for training or when he actually needed it.

As if sensing her confusion Naruto said, "There was a strand of your hair in between the pages." It had been so simple that Rei almost couldn't believe it. Naruto had found out what she did because she didn't remember to keep her hair from falling on the pages. That was something that had been continuously pounded into each and every girl's head back at the academy. Even the most hardened fangirls had managed to gain a few simple skills in keeping their hair from falling like that. Just like the teachers had said would happen, a single hair had notified Naruto that she had been snooping.

The shock that she had been caught because of something so elementary coupled with Rei's feelings of guilt over reading the codex caused her legs to wobble. Rei was just starting to fall on her face when Naruto ran over and pulled her into his arms. As Rei cried into Naruto's chest she felt as if the barrier between her and Naruto was being broken. After a minute or so of crying, Rei said while still being embraced by Naruto, "Why? Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Naruto thought about what Rei asked him and then he replied. "To be honest Rei, I was extremely upset when I first saw that piece of hair. Ever since I got my clan's codex it has been something very precious to me that I haven't let anyone read. I might have given a summery about a point here and there to Iruka or Gramps, but I have never let anyone read it. When I first saw that hair on the page I actually felt betrayed."

"However, I quickly realized that I was being foolish by feeling betrayed. I had after all left the codex out where anyone could read it. Also, I had never asked you or anyone else to not read the codex so you couldn't have betrayed my trust. Finally I remembered how curious you are my dear and something like the Uzumaki Clan Codex was bound to have grabbed your attention. Once I had realized that I decided to wait and see what you would do. It hurt me every time I saw the guilt and pain in your eyes, but I thought that confronting you might hurt you more then allowing you to come to me."

Rei slowly looked up at Naruto and although her face was in its usual elegant and calm expression, her eyes were full of expression. In Rei's eyes Naruto could see her guilt over what she had done, her understanding of what he had done, and most importantly to Naruto her love for him. She then softly said while looking into Naruto's eyes, "You were right Naruto. It is better for me that I came to you instead of you coming to me." There was a brief moment of silence before Rei calmly added, "Just so you know, I never told anyone about what I read."

That news brought a small smile to Naruto's face. He had never expected Rei to say anything about what she read to anyone, but having the belief confirmed felt good. Naruto pulled away from Rei a bit so that they could look at each other and then he said in a more cheerful manner, "So what did you find out Rei?"

Rei calmly looked at Naruto and then said, "I only read the section on the Ranseigan." There was a comfortable silence between the young couple after Rei said that. This silence ended when Rei said, "I need to go now Naruto. I promised Katshuito that I would help him close up the shrine for the night." She then leaned over, gently kissed Naruto, and then whispered into his ear. "Perhaps one day in the future when both of us are more mature and ready, I'll help you gain those three bloodline jutsus of yours." With that said, Rei gently pulled back from Naruto, gave him a small smile, and then she walked away leaving a bewildered Naruto alone in the field.

* * *

Iori was sitting on a tree branch and he leaning against the trunk of the tree. He would occasionally glance up at the sky and watch the predawn light grow brighter. Almost two weeks ago Team Chouza had been given their first independent mission: patrol a 10 km stretch of the Fire Country/Rice Field Country border. Due to slight chance of encountering Sound ninjas this stretch of the Fire Country boarder was rated Chunin and above only for mission assignments.

Glancing downwards Iori looked at the well hidden tent that Naruto and Rei were currently sleeping in. A small smile crossed Iori's face as he looked at where his best friends were currently resting. His teammates were the only friends that Iori had and he would never let them fall to harm if he could prevent it. Of course, he'd also probably deny that he would do so if anyone asked him. It was just how he was and everyone that really mattered to him knew that.

Suddenly and unexpectedly, an image of that Suna ninja Temari entered Iori's mind which he quickly shook away. That sand chick had kept popping up at odd times in Iori's thoughts as of late. Iori had no idea why her image kept popping up and he hadn't told anyone about it either. Since it hadn't affected his abilities while on duty it wasn't something that needed to be brought up and it probably wasn't really important anyway right?

All of Iori's thoughts on the matter of Temari's image were immediately shelved for later when he heard the sound of a raven's cawing break the silence around him. Quickly turning his head Iori spotted the raven that had been cawing and he notice that it was flying it the direction from Konoha. As the raven flew closer Iori noticed that it was carrying a scroll in its feet. The raven landed on the tree branch next to Iori and then said, "Urgent message from Konoha."

Before Iori could say anything to the summoned creature the raven vanished into a puff of smoke. Almost instantly after that Iori grabbed the scroll that had just been delivered and his eyes widened slightly when he saw that the Hokage's official seal on imprinted on the wax. This was undeniable proof, although the summoned ravens could be considered proof sense on the Higurashi family had that contract, that the scroll was authentic. Iori then broke the seal on the scroll and quickly read the message.

When Iori was finished reading the message he roughly rolled the scroll back up and hopped down from the tree. As he walked over to the tent he muttered to himself, "Great just great. The whole continent's gone to Hell." Iori then flipped over the tent flap and gave his teammates one quick glance. They were calmly sleeping together with Rei laying her head on Naruto's chest as a pillow. Even though he would have preferred to not disrupt his friends' peaceful sleep Iori called out loud enough to wake the two, "Alright newlyweds, the honeymoon is over."

Thanks to their training, Naruto and Rei were able to instantly wake up and they quickly got on their feet. Naruto looked at the mini clock in the tent and then said to Iori, "Why did you call us? Has a team of foreign ninjas been spot?"

Iori looked at his teammates shook his head. "No Naruto," Iori said in a gruff and grave voice, "the area is still clear although I sure wish it was. Dealing with a couple regular boarder patrol ninjas would be a whole lot more preferable to the mess that's developed." Naruto and Rei then quickly glanced at each other and seemed to silently ask the other what could be going on.

Before either of his teammates could ask what was going on Iori decided to clarify what he meant. "Just minutes ago I received an official message from Konoha via raven summon. Two day's ago there was an attempt on the Wind Daimyo's life by crevice ninjas from Stone Country. The Wind Daimyo survived the attempt on his life and immediately declared war on Stone Country. At the urging of the Tsuchikage Earth Country and Iwa has declared war on Wind Country. Bird Country, Grass Country, Waterfall country, and their shinobi villages have declared war as well. Last night the Hokage informed Konoha that the village will be entering the war along with Fire Country to help out Wind Country. Due to existing treaties, River Country is also joining the war on as our ally. Rain Country is currently neutral, but they have cut off all diplomatic relations with Wind Country and Fire Country. The Fourth Great Ninja War has begun."

* * *

Pain, heir to the Rinnegan and current ruler of Ame along with being the public leader of Akatsuki, was sitting troubled in his office. He was currently trying to figure out how this unexpected war could have suddenly broken out. Even more importantly, Pain was wondering how this war would affect Akatsuki's plans. One of the key points of Akatsuki's plan to take over the world required that Akatsuki corner the shinobi market. In order to do that Akatsuki would need the various hidden villages to be pushed into economic collapse.

However, due to the new war forcing the various hidden villages into economic collapse would be impossible. Mission demands from various clients were at an all time high now bringing in much needed cash to the poorer villages and enriching the coffers of the larger more stable villages. Pain went through the calculations in his head and he didn't like what he saw. For every week of war there would have to be an additional three weeks of peace to return the hidden villages back to the needed financial status. And that was just for the first year of war, after the first year the time needed grew exponentially.

In a fit of rage Pain overturned his desk and hollered in rage. How dare these impudent mortals mess with his plans, he was god! This war completely ruined his and Madara's plans for the world. The five still free Bijuu had by now vanished to where ever the demons went to when the mortal world was at war. Even if the war was settled this very day it could be years before even one of the Bijuu returned to the mortal world. A life time of careful planning was gone in an instant.

After taking a moment to calm himself down Pain marched out of his office. In a cold and aloft manner Pain walked down the halls and headed towards Madara's private quarters. If anyone could figure out what Akatsuki should do about this situation, it would be Madara.

* * *

In Konoha's council chambers the entire high council was patiently sitting in their seats. All of them had received a summons from Sarutobi to attend a special emergency session that he had called. Everyone wanted to know why Sarutobi had called them and many figured that whatever the reason it must have something to do with the new war that had broke out a few days ago.

Finally everyone heard the sound of a door open and they turned to see Sarutobi walk in with Jiraiya walking close behind the old Hokage. In a regal manner Sarutobi calmly and silently ascended to the raised Hokage seat in the council chamber. He then looked around the room as if he was checking to make sure that every member of the council was there. After that Sarutobi calmly said, "As you all know Konoha is now at war. I was able to lead us through the Third Great Ninja War, but in my advancing age I fear that I will not have the strength to lead us through this new war. In order to insure that Konoha has the best leadership it can have I am using my emergency war powers to proclaim Jiraiya as the Godaime. As of this moment, we follow his leadership."

The council chamber was filled with the sound of almost all of the council members politely clapping their hands. No one roared in approval at the ascension of the Jiraiya due to the weight of the war on the council members' minds and the fact that everyone felt that doing so would be a slightly to Sarutobi. Even Sarutobi's political rivals and enemies on the council respected the old leader and they wanted to so him their grudging respect.

Once Jiraiya had calmly taken his seat as the newly proclaimed Hokage from Sarutobi Jiraiya calmly said, "I'm sure that every kunoichi is afraid at the moment that I'll issue some perverted edict." This earned Jiraiya chuckles from the guys and a few death glares from the female council members. Jiraiya then held his hands in a placating manner and continued on. "Okay, let's get down to business. I won't give you people any false promises; this will be a long and bloody war. Anybody who claims that we can swiftly and decisively end this war is a fool who obviously was sleeping during history class. Yes we can win this war, but we will need to cautious at first and remember the first principal of war: 'war is won by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.'"

Many of the council members had grown up during the Third Great Ninja War or had participated in that war. They knew exactly where Jiraiya was coming from and knew the truth in his words. A few of less qualified council members didn't like the idea that there wouldn't be any grand campaigns, but they had the common sense to keep their mouths shut for the moment. Jiraiya then said in a very serious tone, "For my first official edict as Hokage I am declaring that the cage bird seal on all members of the Hyuga family is to be removed and the seal permanently banned."

Instantly the council chamber became filled with noise as council members talked among themselves about the new edict. Never before had any Hokage dared to make an edict that interfered with how a ninja clan operated. Such a thing just wasn't done. Hiashi Hyuga quickly rose from his seat and called out, "This is an outrage! No one has the right to dictate to a clan what a clan does!"

Jiraiya looked Hiashi in the eye and then he eyed the two branch members standing behind Hiashi. In his mind Jiraiya stated how sorry he was for what he was about to do, but out loud he answered. "This gives me the right Hiashi Hyuga!" With that Jiraiya created a single handsign and activated the two branch members' seals. Hiashi looked on in horror as an outsider activated the seal and watched helpless as his two guards started to writhe in pain.

Figuring that he had demonstrated his use of the seal enough Jiraiya released the handsign and then addressed the whole council chamber. "Any person with a basic understanding of seals can figure out how to activate the cage bird seal. Besides myself there are at least 50 other individuals in Konoha alone who could easily figure out that seal. Our enemies have hundreds of people who could figure that out. That means that over 200 of our Chunin and Jonin can be killed by our enemies with just a quick handsign."

In a much graver voice Jiraiya then continued to address a shocked Hiashi, "Don't think for a moment that our enemies won't activate the seal. Your bloodline means nothing to Iwa or their allies. As far as they are concerned the Hyuga is just another enemy clan to be eradicated. If a single Caged Bird Seal remains in place on a branch member after 48 hours and that branch member was not on duty out of the village Hiashi, you and your entire Hyuga council will be executed for the crime of adding the enemy by deliberately weakening of Konoha's forces."

This news further shocked all of the council members. Sarutobi's old teammate Koharu Utatane said in a shocked manner, "You would execute the entire ruling body of a clan Hokage?"

Jiraiya glared at Koharu and said in a slightly frosty voice, "Let's see here. On the one hand I have the lives of six has beens who never distinguished themselves on the field and one Jonin who hasn't taken a mission in almost 17 years. On the other hand I have the lives of over 200 active ninjas who would be killed due to the previously mentioned seven people's wishes. In your own words ex-adviser its simple numbers." At moment everyone knew that Konoha had a strong Hokage once again who wouldn't any bullshit that the council might try to send his way.


	17. Chapter 17

Disclaimer: I've heard from a very reliable source that grilled moron is a tasty dish and Iori is perfectly willing to provide the flames. Don't do something moronic like trying to claim that I own Naruto.

It was Team Chouza's last day on patrol and all three of them were happy that their mission was almost over. Of course Naruto, Rei, and Iori all kept their pleasure at their tour ending apparently without incident to themselves. Until they were relieved of duty by their replacements and back in Konoha or another suitably defended town they were still in a potential battlefield. Currently Iori was cleaning some fish that Naruto had caught earlier. Naruto was sitting by unlit fireplace using his Ranseigan to scan the immediate area around the campsite. Finally Rei was currently looking at the sky to check on her summons that she was using to extend the team's area of observation.

Rei's eyes narrowed a bit as she notice the summon that she knew was supposed to be watching things a few miles over the boarder in Rice Field Country come flying in very fast The summon flew into the camp and shouted, "Oto ninjas heading this way on what appears to be an attack run." Once the raven summon landed it said, "There are about thirty Oto ninjas heading this way at battle speed. They will be across the border in 20 minutes." It then disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Naruto then said with his eyelids narrowed, "This isn't good at all. Those Oto ninjas are almost certainly going on a raiding run. However, since Rice Field Country and thus by extension Oto is technically neutral we're a little short of options. If we attempt to use a preemptive strike against the group they can claim that they were just 'doing training runs and were savagely attacked without provocation'. Such a claim will do far more damage to Konoha then a simple raid could hope to do."

Immediately Rei replied, "That must be what Oto is hoping to accomplish. They must have a secret treaty with Iwa like the traitorous Waterfall Country had. We defend ourselves from the Oto ninjas, they claim they were attacked without provocation, Rice Field Country joins the Circle Alliance, and at the same time the Double Alliance gets a bad rep."

"Unless," Iori said while raising his left hand and extending his pointer finger upwards, "We give undeniable proof that we are just defending ourselves." On seeing the intrigued looks on his teammates' faces Iori continued, "What if we wait for those ninjas to cross the river? Then their on Fire Country territory and since Fire Country has tightened its boarders those Oto ninjas would technically be invading at that time."

Naruto then jumped in and said, "I see where you're going with this Iori." Then Naruto's eyes got a slightly mischievous tone to them as he said, "Hey Iori. How do you feel about whipping us up some Oto barbeque if I get you some premium toad oil? We've already got the grill set up by the riverside."

Very quickly Iori caught on to what Naruto was saying as he remembered that Team Chouza had uncovered several sets small shallow trenches crisscrossing the easiest crossing points along the river on the Fire Country side. Those trenches were old and in poor maintenance, but those trenches were still usable. Iori had a smirk on his face as he said, "I hope you all like your barbeque extra crispy." Now with a plan of action, Team Chouza headed off to get everything ready.

* * *

Rei was standing in one of the large trees overlooking the river and she was observing Naruto and Iori preparing the oil trap. Stationed at equal points in the trap grid were four horse size toads that were quickly supplying the necessary oil. Resting up in the tree next to Rei was Hugin. The elder son of Wodanaz had been summoned because Rei planed to use him to provide air support. Just as Naruto's toads finished filling up the trenches Hugin said, "Tell the boys to hide Rei, the enemy is almost here."

Putting her trust in Hugin's superior senses Rei called out, "Hide Guys, their almost here!" Iori quickly hid himself in a set of bushes that where next to a lighting point for the oil trap. On the other hand Naruto dove into the river and quickly swam so that he was hiding behind a rock. Once everyone was in their proper hiding spots no sign could be seen that anyone had been in the area recently.

Hugin's word was quickly verified when the platoon of Oto ninjas appeared on the Rice Field side of the river. Those ninjas charged on the river without slowly down at all proving that they were going to invade Fire Country. Inside his hiding place Iori was watching the approaching enemy ninjas very carefully. He knew that he right now the success of the plan, and possibly his team's life, was resting squarely on his shoulders. If he set the trap off too soon or too late enough of the Oto ninjas could escape the attack to overwhelm Team Chouza. Fighting at ten to one odds against them was not something any of the members of the team were comfortable with at their current skill level especially if the enemy was just as skilled as they were.

As soon as the last Oto ninja stepped onto the Fire Country side of the river bank Iori ignited the trap. Several of the Oto ninjas let out shrieks of surprise as they saw the walls of fire approach them. Many of the ninjas made the release handsign believing that what they were seeing was an advanced genjutsu. This was not surprising because Iori was able to make the flames larger and spread quicker then normal thanks to his bloodline.

When the fire hit them, the Oto ninjas let out a blood curling and agonizing scream of pain. Some of the ninjas tried to make to back to the river while others tried to escape the flames by heading further inland and out of the fire trap. The bulk of the Oto task force however, remained inside the trap screaming until they died from burns and the smoke. That agonizing screaming was burned into Naruto, Rei, and Iori's minds. Even with their training it was extremely hard to not break out into tears at the sound.

Fortunately for Team Chouza they were able to keep their wits about them and complete their assigned tasks. While Iori continued to keep the fire trap burning, Naruto and Rei were taking care of those who had escaped the attack. Naruto quickly swam among the ninjas who had dived into the river to try and douse the flames. He didn't allow any of the Oto ninjas to gather their wits as he killed them. At the same time Rei, who was flying on Hugin's back, was using Spirit Release: Spirit Spear to slay those ninjas that had tried to make it further inland.

Thanks to surprise, good planning, and good teamwork all thirty of the Oto ninjas were killed without any harm to the members of Team Chouza. Slowly, wearily, three teammates regrouped together with the still burning fire in the background. They looked each other in the eyes and then they slowly made their way back to their camp. Each of them knew that protocol stated that they secure the battle site and collect as much information as possible, but they really couldn't care at the moment. They too emotionally drained at the moment and their replacements were scheduled to show up an a few hours. The information could be collected when the other team arrived.

* * *

Jiraiya was in Konoha's war room standing next to a very large table map of the elemental countries. All across the map were various small blocks that represented the various military forces in the war. A small sign escaped Jiraiya's lips as he looked at the map and he remembered back to the Third Ninja War when this room was last used. He had hated that war and he hated the war that was going on right now. Because of some too-bit moron with delusions of grandeur many good men and women were going to die and Jiraiya knew he couldn't prevent that.

Returning his focus to the present, Jiraiya focused his attention on the Fire/Rice Field boarder. Rice Field Country's entry into the war on the Circle Alliance's side opened up another front that he had to worry about. True, Rice Field Country didn't have a large military force or a very large ninja village. However protecting that front would divert necessary men and supplies away from the main lines. Luckily Team Chouza's report on their confrontation with the Oto ninjas suggested a useful measure to secure that front with only about 70 of the ninja force typically needed for that area.

Jiraiya was a little disappointed that he couldn't use the same tactics on the main front to create a wall of fire to protect Fire Country. Sadly the Fire Daimyo would never accept the loss of so much useful land to go to defense. Even getting permission to use fire traps all along the Fire/Rice Field boarder would be a tough sell. Also, Jiraiya knew that turning the entire main front into a wall of fire and keeping the fires burning required far more oil then all of the Toad Summons could hope to produce. It was just another idea that looks great on paper, but is totally impractical in real life.

Turning his attention over to a series of clipboards, Jiraiya read the latest information on team statuses and projected arrival times. After reading several pages of information Jiraiya stopped reading and considered something. He then headed over to the intercom and said, "Secretary, send out a memo to the gate guards. Tell them to inform Naruto that I want to see him in my office when he arrives in Konoha so I can give him something of his father's."

Once the secretary had responded, Jiraiya ended the transmission and returned to reading the transcripts in front of him. Even as he focused on the transcripts Jiraiya said, "Hope Naruto can figure out the Flying Thunder God jutsu when I give him that scroll of Minato's. I'd like to help Naruto learn that jutsu, but I can't take any time away from managing the war along with my other duties as Hokage to help him. Even with the boost that the Flying Thunder God jutsu will bring it's just not worth the cost to my time right now. Maybe once things have settled down a bit I can help him."

* * *

Konohamaru was busy punching his assigned post of wood with the rest of his classmates lined up to his left and right. Unlike many in his class, Konohamaru and his two close friends weren't complaining about this new addition to the ninja academy's gym class. This new gym course was only one of many changes that Konohamaru Udon, Meogi, and the rest of the kids at the academy had witnessed since the start of the war.

Several parents had complained about these new changes stating that the changes made the academy far 'too hazardous for the safety of such young children'. These people had wanted the academy to return to the way it was before the war. Jiraiya had sent out a noticed in response which stated that some changes would stop as soon as the war was over. However, most of the changes would be staying in place even after the war because the academy needed those overhauls. A few parents had withdrawn their children from the ninja program in response, but most of the kids continued to attend.

Unfortunately for Konohamaru, he lost count of how many punches he had done because the instructor called out, "Keep at it youthful students! I know that you can all do a hundred punches with both arms or I will run around Konoha 50 times backwards." Konohamaru quickly turned around, made a face at Rock Lee while the teen was looking the other way, and then returned his attention to the wooden post. Sarutobi's grandson could handle with the harsher training of the academy and thrive on it, but he could not stand Special Chunin Rock Lee and his endless spouting about 'Youth'.

Special Chunin was a brand new rank devised by Jiraiya that was basically the genin equivalent of Special Jonin. The rank was created so that Konoha would have a pool of genin that fulfill many of the in village responsibilities that many of the Chunins did. This freed up many experienced ninjas so they could go to the front lines. No one was really sure if the Special Chunin rank would become permanent or if it would fade away as the war went on. However, Konoha's ninja force had accepted the Special Chunins for now and was willing to try the idea.

Drowning out Lee's voice, Konohamaru returned his attention to the post in front of him. Both Grandpa and Uncle Asuma had told Konohamaru that they expected the war to be long and bloody. Now Konohamaru didn't fully understand and he knew he didn't understand the pain and sadness that those two had when they talked about how the war would turn out. Oh Konohamaru knew that the war would be painful and cause many people a lot of grief, he just didn't have the first-hand experience on the front lines to understand how terrible it could and would be. Nevertheless, Konohamaru was determined to do his best in the academy so he could get out to The Front. After all, he and his friends would be the ones to turn the tide and crush the Circle Alliance!

* * *

Iori walked into his family's bakery and proceeded to sit down at one of the few tables that they provided for customers who wanted to eat at the bakery. Normally Iori would head in through the door by the bakery's oven, but not today. Right now Iori wanted to stay as far away from an open flame as he could get in his family's house/store. Normally Iori loved fire and the warmth that it brought like all members of the Kusanagi family did.

However, right now fire just reminded him of the ambush that Team Chouza had set. Thanks to the adrenaline of the battle and the potential danger that the team was in on the way to Konoha Iori had been able to keep the memories of the battle at bay. But now that he was safe within Konoha those memories had come flooding back to him. Even looking at a lit candle brought those memories to Iori's mind. He could hear the Oto ninja's screams of agony, see their burning bodies as the turned to blacken husks, and he could remember the smell of burning human flesh.

It wasn't like the battle in the stadium at all. Back then Iori had known that he was in danger and could have lost his life. He had even seen people die in the stadium due to Shukaku's attacks. However, that battle seemed to have a sort of larger the life thing or something that seemed to separate the brutality from him. The ambush on the other hand was up close and personal hitting Iori with the full force of its brutality. He had been the one to light the trap; he was the one who had mercilessly burned his enemies to death. Naruto and Rei killed their targets cleanly and mercifully while he had caused his enemies an incredible amount of agony before they died.

At the same time as Iori was brooding, his father Kenma was walking down the street past the bakery. Kenma spotted Iori from the bakery's window and he immediately went in to talk to his son. Once he was inside Kenma headed over to the table Iori was sitting at and he sat down across from the boy. The two just sat together in silence for a few minutes before Kenma said, "This isn't the first time you've taken a human life before Iori."

Iori glared at his father who was sitting impassively across from him. He then slammed his hands on the table and said as he rose out of his seat angrily, "This isn't the first time you've taken a human life?! Is that the best you can do for comfort father? I watched as I burned those men alive. I saw the utter agony and despair in their eyes as they died. Don't you DARE compare their deaths to the deaths of those guards I killed on my first C rank mission! Have you ever witnessed a man burned alive and knew that it was because of you that the person died in such a horrible manner?"

Kenma then shot Iori a glare of his own and calmly said, "As a matter of fact son I have and on 7 separate occasions I might add." After letting out a sigh Kenma continued, "Look Iori there is something important that you're just realizing. Yes we as ninjas will have to take the lives of our fellow men and I know that you have realized that. However, you won't always be able deal your enemy a mercifully swift death. There will be times where you'll leave in enemy to die a slow and agonizing death because if you took that extra second to end their suffering one of your comrades could be wounded or killed."

Tears were starting to form in Iori's eyes as he looked at his father. Dropping his usual tough guy attitude Iori practically sobbed out, "How do you do it Dad? How are you able to look at a fire or use our bloodline without feeling, well, without feeling revulsion at what you've done and what you can do?"

Kenma leaned across the table and firmly grabbed Iori's shoulder in such a way that only a father could do so that Iori was able to draw Kenma's strength. While still holding Iori's shoulder firmly in his hand Kenma said, "As ninja our bloodline is a tool. You didn't throw away your sword after you used it to slit those guards' throats. In time the pain will become easier for you to bear, but it will never go away. Just remember Iori why we fight: to protect our family and our home."

Iori then said as he whipped away a tear that was starting to form, "Thanks dad I needed that." Kenma then got up and left Iori alone so he think about what the two of them had said. Just before Kenma left the room he turned around and smiled at Iori. The boy was growing into a man that Kenma was proud of and that he would continue to proud of.

* * *

Naruto sat at his cleared off kitchen table and was busily studying the scroll that Jiraiya had made him get from behind his father's picture in the Hokage's office. For the past few hours Naruto had been relentlessly studying his father's notes, instructions, and illustrations for the Flying Thunder God jutsu. However even though Naruto got the basic concept behind the jutsu, he was stumped at how to actually learn the jutsu. Flying Thunder God was classified in Minato's notes as a Ninjutsu and fuuinjutsu hybrid.

The seal portion of the jutsu was special seals on the kunai used in the jutsu that had a small sample of the user's chakra preserved within it. Also, the seals on the kunai caused a 'ping' that the user could sense when thrown and that 'ping' was used as the targeting agent of the Flying Thunder God. Ninjutsu entered the equation with the fact that the Flying Thunder God required the user to perform a difficult form of chakra manipulation so that the user's chakra wrapped around the sample in the seals. This wrapping around the chakra sample was what allowed the user to transport from one location to the next.

Naturally, the whole process was a lot more complicated when it came to exactly how the wrapping of the user's chakra caused the transportation. There were several theories behind the move that explain why this happened, but those theories were way over Naruto's head. Luckily for Naruto a person didn't have to understand the theory behind the Flying Thunder God in order to use it.

The problem that Naruto had in trying to learn the jutsu was the fact that he needed the seal portion of the Flying Thunder God in order to learn it. Oh Naruto could work on several of the steps needed for the jutsu by without the seals, but he wouldn't be able to progress past a certain point without the seals. Also Naruto couldn't use his father's kunai even if he had them because the jutsu require that it be a sample of HIS chakra that was in the seal. Unfortunately, Naruto was not nearly skilled enough to create the needed seals and it would take him years to gain the skill.

Not wanting to admit defeat, Naruto reread the section on seal part of the jutsu. After carefully reading the part about the seal's creation Naruto started to smile. Even though the seal required a Seal Master to create it, the seal could be created by a Seal Master for someone else. Minato had obviously realized that not everyone in his family would be Seal Masters and had left instructions for how to adapt the seal so that someone else's chakra besides the maker of the seal could be used as the sample. Luckily Naruto just happened to know of a great Seal Mistress who he was sure could create the seal for him.

* * *

Rei was aimlessly walking down Konoha streets and she had been walking since before the sun set. After giving her part of the report to the person at the mission desk Rei had gone home. However, after spending about an hour at home Rei had felt the need to go for a walk. As she walked up and down Konoha's street Rei just took in the feel of the village. The atmosphere in the village felt charged, like the whole village was ready to fight.

This excitement for the war just seemed ridiculous to Rei. Didn't the fools raring for the war realize how horrible it was? However, it seemed that most of the civilians, genin, and a good portion of the chunin had their heads filled with ideas of battle glory. On the other hand, almost all of the Jonin and a good deal of the older civilians had just accepted the war and seemed to know what was going to happen. These people had lived through the Third Ninja War and they knew what to expect out of this war.

Now of course there were exceptions on both sides. For instance, Ino, who Rei had beaten in the preliminaries, was not filled with delusions of glory. When Rei had passed by the Yamanaka flower shop she remembered the blonde having a heated argument with a pink haired girl that Rei knew had been a fan girl. It had been immediately obvious to Rei that the pink haired girl was still a fan girl and an idiot when she overheard the pink haired girl and Ino argue. Ino had been trying to get the fan girl to realize that the war was not a good thing and that 'her Sasuke' wasn't going to become some amazing war hero. If the Sasuke that the fan girl had been talking about was Sasuke Uchiha then Rei suspected that the boy would end up a war hero, posthumously.

Returning her focus to the present, Rei looked around to see where her feet had carried her. She very quickly realized that she was about 10 feet away from Naruto's apartment. Very quickly Rei decided to go drop in on Naruto. His presence was just more comforting and relaxing to Rei then her brother's or her grandfather's. Right now Rei needed that comfort and care that Naruto had for her and she knew it. When she reached Naruto's door she was about to knock, but then she hesitated when she saw the Feng Shui Fusion seal on the back of her hand.

Rei immediately remembered how during the battle with Shukaku Naruto had sent her a message via their connection from the ritual. That fact hadn't really come up until just now and it gave Rei and idea. Instead of knocking on the door, Rei calmly sent a series of small amounts of chakra into the seal. The message she sent via Konoha's battle code was simple: I am here love. Let me in the door. Once the message was sent Rei just stood and waited to see if Naruto would respond.

Less then a minute after Rei sent the message Naruto opened the door and let her in. Once Rei was inside and Naruto had closed the door she gave Naruto a hug. It wasn't a clingy hug, but rather it was a gentle hug that let Naruto know that she needed him. The two of them just stood where they were embracing each other for a few minutes in comfortable silence. Rei then broke the silence when she said, "Can I stay here Naruto, just for the night?"

This question surprised Naruto and he said while still holding Rei, "Why would you want to Rei? I mean, you've got your bed in your room at your home to go sleep in. Your brother and grandfather are probably waiting at your home for you. Why do you want to stay here?"

Rei then looked up into Naruto's eyes and said, "Because you're here. I want to sleep next to you Naruto. I, I don't want to be alone right now. Please let me stay here, just for tonight. We've slept next to each other countless times while out in the field so why should it be any different right now?"

At the moment Naruto wanted to point out just how different the idea of having their sleeping bags close together verses sharing a bed really was. However, he never voiced any of those reasons when he looked into Rei's beautiful emerald eyes. Right now Rei needed to be with him and Naruto knew it. Was complaining about her staying the night really worth it considering the fact that Rei's staying over would help her out? Besides, a traitorous part of Naruto's mind pointed out, why was he refusing to spend time with his wonderful girlfriend? Also, it wasn't like he was some hormonally driven jerk who would try and take advantage of Rei and her current vulnerability.

Finally making his decision Naruto said, "Alright Rei you can stay here for the night. But only for tonight, promise me that tomorrow you'll go and sleep at your own home. I don't need Katshuito or your grandfather coming after me because you decide to stay with me." On seeing the small smile that this last comment brought to Rei's face Naruto said, "Now then Rei, have you had dinner or should I fix you something to eat?"

In her usual composed way, which let Naruto know that she was feeling better, Rei said, "No thanks Naruto. I stopped and had dinner at the Korean barbeque restaurant about 40 minutes ago. Still, thanks for offering Naruto." The two of them then spent the next hour talking about every day non-sense deliberately staying away from all references to their jobs as ninja.

After the hour of talking was over the two of them decided it was time for bed. Naruto attempted at the time to get Rei to take his bed while he slept on the couch. However Rei put her foot down on that by saying, "Naruto, if you sleep on the couch then I'm going to join you there. I want sleep next to you not in the same building as you." Since the idea of Rei sleeping on him to sleep on the couch, which she would have had to do, made Naruto too nervous he quickly agreed to join Rei in his bed.

Once Naruto had settled into bed Rei came into his room and closed the door. She then unbuttoned her dress and while in Naruto's view let it fall to the floor. Clad only in her underwear, Rei turned off the lights, walked over, and climbed into the bed. At the same time Naruto stammered out, "Why are you sleeping in your underwear Rei? I have several t-shirts that you could use!"

In reply Rei calmly said as she pulled the covers up, "I've seen your t-shirts Naruto. Yes they fit me, but they aren't long enough to cover up all of my underwear. Thus it doesn't really pay to have me wear one of your shirts right? Besides, I'm under the blankets and the lights are off so it's not like you can see anything." Despite Naruto's danger sense going off at the idea of a half naked Rei sleeping next to him, he had to admit that her logic was rather sound.

Knowing that she had gotten Naruto to see things her way, Rei smiled in the darkness. She then rolled over and gently kissed Naruto's cheek. Before closing her eyes for the night Rei said, "Naruto, don't panic in the morning if you wake up holding me or lying on me. I don't mind the idea of you using my breasts as pillows and I'm expecting that we will probably start to hug each other in our sleep. Goodnight and sleep tight."


	18. Chapter 18

Disclaimer: The chances of me owning Naruto are about as good as Mr. Satan actually defeating Cell by himself, NONE.

Naruto stood by his kitchen stove as he carefully prepared breakfast for him and Rei. In the background as Naruto was cooking he could hear the sound of the shower running. A traitorous part of Naruto's mind brought up the idea of using his bloodline to check up on Rei. However, Naruto ruthlessly destroyed that particular thought and pulverized its ashes into oblivion. Not only was such an action unethical, but it would also destroy the trust that existed between the couple.

Rei then walked into the room in her spare outfit with her hair wrapped up in a towel just as Naruto finished the final touches to breakfast. She then sat down at the table and Naruto delivered her breakfast before sitting down as well. The two of them quietly said thanks and then started to enjoy the meal. Once they had about half way finished their meals Rei said, "Thank you for letting me stay here Naruto."

Looking up from his plate Naruto calmly said, "I don't mind Rei." He then felt Rei send a small glare at him. It wasn't anything serious, but Naruto got the message. Looking Rei in the eyes Naruto said, "I mean it Rei when I said that I don't mind. Yes I was a little nervous last night, but that doesn't change the fact that I was and still am worried about you. A little nervousness on my part is a small price to pay in order to insure that you're feeling better."

This honest statement from Naruto caused Rei's cheeks to slightly blush. Naruto's simple sweet actions had once again demonstrated why Rei had fallen for him so hard. She knew that flattering words and witty declarations of love, despite what a lot of the girls her age still thought, didn't mean anything even though they were nice to hear once and awhile. It was a person's actions that held a relationship together and proved someone's love. That was something that Naruto understood, at an unconscious level at the very least, very well.

After they had eaten breakfast and while they were still at the table Rei said, "Uh Naruto? If you don't mind my asking what was it that you working on before I came over here last night? If it's anything I can help you on I'll do whatever I can."

With a chipper voice Naruto stated, "Thanks for the offer Rei. Actually, I was planning on asking you if you could help me with that today." Naruto then paused for a moment to remove the dishes. Then he pulled out a scroll, unrolled it in front of Rei, and then said, "This is what I was working on. It's scroll containing instructions to perform the Flying Thunder God jutsu. Now I can learn how to do this with your help because I need a Seal Master, or Mistress, to prepare part of the preparations for the jutsu. Go ahead Rei and look at the scroll, I don't mind."

Always eager to study new seals, Rei practically pounced on the unrolled scroll and immediately started to read it. The more Rei read about the Flying Thunder God the more she became astounded by Minato Namikaze's genius. More then once Rei had heard her grandfather mention that the late Yondaime was incredibly gifted in the sealing arts, but until now she had never had the chance to really see that genius. Yes, the original seal on Naruto's stomach was an impressive seal. However, it paled in comparison to the seals that the Higurashi family had created.

After Rei had read through the scroll she turned to Naruto and said, "I can see why you need my help Naruto. The seals needed to perform the Flying Thunder God are incredibly complex. I can make them, but I would time to study them carefully before I could make them for you. Can I come over here so that I can study these seals more Naruto?"

To Rei's surprise Naruto gave her a quick kiss on the lips and then he said, "I'll make a copy of the scroll for you to have Rei. This way you can study the seals when you're at home. Also Rei, make a set of kunai for yourself as well once you can make a set for me." On seeing the look of absolute shock and surprise on Rei's face, Naruto just smiled and said, "I want you to have the jutsu Rei. You're the only person alive I'm willing to trust the Flying Thunder God to."

Even though Rei knew how much Naruto cared for her, she still couldn't believe that he had asked her to learn the Flying Thunder God jutsu with him. Sure she had expected him to ask her to make the seals for him once she found out about them and she was more the willing to make them. However, asking her to make her own set of kunai was totally different. Among ninjas, offering to teach a high ranking secret family jutsu to someone outside the family or rarely a student was a huge deal. What Naruto had just done could have been taken as him asking her to be his wife or at least his mistress.

Looking into Naruto's blue eyes, Rei didn't see any sign that Naruto was offering the jutsu as part of a proposal. Of course Rei, if she was being perfectly honest with herself, wouldn't really have minded if Naruto was sending her a proposal. However, that was neither here nor there at the moment. Naruto was offering the jutsu solely because he cared for her and he trusted her with it. In Rei's mind there was only one thing she could do with this offer. She gave Naruto one of her usual small smiles and then she said, "Okay Naruto. Once I've created a set of kunai for you I'll make a set for me."

* * *

Iruka was walking through the Hokage tower with a clip board in his hand. As the second most senior instructor at the academy Iruka had the job of updating Jiraiya about what was going on at the academy. Sarutobi, as the new principal of the ninja academy, had too much work to do managing the students and the new Special Chunin instructors to deliver these reports. Iruka didn't mind delivering these weekly reports to Jiraiya since the Godaime always wanted personal observations that none of the Special Chunin were likely to pick up on yet. Besides, in Iruka's opinion it just wouldn't be fair to ask Sarutobi to deliver these reports. The old leader should have been off enjoying his well deserved retirement instead of giving up more of his time by being the principal.

When Iruka got to the Hokage's office he knocked on the door and waited for a response. Almost immediately Iruka heard Jiraiya's voice telling him to come in. Irukia opened the door and saw Naruto, Rei, and Iori all standing in the room. The scarred Chunin then walked over to where Jiraiya was sitting and handed him the clip board saying, "The weekly report sir. Would you like me to leave until after you have finished your business with these three?"

Jiraiya shook his head and said, "No Iruka you can stay. With your experience you might be able to offer these three some advice for their next mission." Iruka quickly sat down while Jiraiya turned his attention over to the younger trio. "Your mission you three is a fairly simple mission. The Isesu Bridge in Waterfall Country spans one of the larger rivers in that country. This bridge is the only bridge on the river south of Taki that the Circle Alliance controls. You're to go in and blow that bridge up."

"Sneaking into Waterfall Country will not be that hard, although is potentially dangerous so be alert, because the Circle Alliance is currently focused on attacking us from Grass Country. Now while your primary mission is to destroy that bridge, you are order to cause as much collateral damage among the civilian population of Waterfall Country as you can. I know causing needless civilian casualties is a dirty business. However, these orders come directly from the Fire Daimyo himself. It seems that he and the other daimyos want to destroy Waterfall for their treachery. Personally, I can understand where their coming from even if the method is a little extreme."

At that point Iruka spoke up. "Pardon me Lord Jiraiya, but why are you sending these three on this mission? Protocol states that these kinds of missions should be done by a team of either four Jonin or six Chunin. I know for a fact that the Double Alliance isn't nearly pressed enough for manpower that we would need to cut down an attack force by half."

Jiraiya let out a small laugh and he said, "Glad to see that some ninjas still don't just accept a mission at its face value." His face then became more serious and he said, "The answer is simple. Currently the Circle Alliance is working on the assumption that we're going to fight this war like we did the last ninja war. Thus the armies of the Circle Alliance are set up for big open battlefields and the ninja villages have their ninjas deployed to prevent important individuals from being assassinated."

"The Double Alliance on the other hand is using a completely new strategy that was created by the Yondaime after the Third Ninja War. This attack on the Isesu Bridge is just one of dozens of precision strikes that are about to commence. Our enemies will soon find it hard to fight a war when there food supplies are destroyed, their factories can't produce any weapons or armor, and their troops are being picked off squad by squad. I know that these three can make it through large gaps in the enemy's defenses and complete this mission. Adding more ninjas would just increase the chance of discovery."

Upon seeing that both the trio and Iruka didn't have anything more to say Jiraiya said, "I'm glad that you all understand what's going on. Team Chouza, as of this moment you three are being reorganized. You three will all still be on the same team. However, Chouza will no longer be on your team as he is now part of the reformed Ino-Shika-Cho trio. From now on your team name is to be Team Sazan."

Iori gruffly said, "Why are we going to be called Team 3 times 3 Hokage? No offense, but that doesn't seem like the usual naming convention for a ninja team."

Jiraiya just smiled and replied, "Actually Kusanagi the name fits your team. Your team is the only team on the books with three bloodline bearers and three different summoning contracts. Thus, you're Team Sazan." All three members of the renamed Team Sazan looked at each other and slowly nodded their heads. They all had to agree that their new team name did suit them. It also was a better name then they were likely to come up with. And so without anything further to contribute, Team Sazan headed out to complete their mission.

* * *

Team Sazan stood in a patch of trees that overlooked the Isesu village along with the Isesu Bridge. Just like Jiraiya had told them it had been fairly easy to sneak into Waterfall Country. Of course, that was in part because Team Sazan was going after a target that the enemy thought had no strategic value. The trio of course weren't about to complain that their enemies thought they were about to attack some unimportant target. Any mission that could be completed without incident was a great mission.

Currently Rei and Iori were standing next to Naruto carefully observing their surroundings for possible attacks. Naruto was using his Ranseigan to gather Intel on both the bridge and any useful civilian targets. Their orders might have been to cause as much collateral damage among the civilian population as practical, but that was still open to interpretation. To Naruto and the rest of Team Sazan civilian collateral damage meant blowing up bathhouses, sewage lines, and other things that improved morale. Not only would such an action demoralize the entire town, but it was also easier on the team's conscience then randomly blowing up houses. It was Waterfall's leaders that were the traitors and backstabbers, not the civilians.

Once Naruto had collected the Intel, he disengaged his dojutsu and rolled his head. He then turned to his teammates and said, "Here's the situation. The town has one platoon infantrymen. Judging by their poorly kept uniforms and sloppy maneuvering their probably from an auxiliary conscript unit that was given minimal training before being deployed so that the real soldiers could go to the front. Practically the entire platoon is getting drunk at the town tavern while four members of the platoon are sleeping away at the bridge. There are no enemy ninjas in this village that I could spot."

Iori then said, "It's to be expected that there wouldn't be any ninjas in this village. After all, it has nothing of value to cause the Double Alliance to attack it. Now the only question is who goes into town to blow stuff up while the other two rig the bridge to blow? Personally, I feel that you should do it Naruto. After all you know the town layout already so you won't have to explain it to either of us. I'll set the charges under the main sections of the bridge while Rei sets things off on the polls near the waterline."

In her usual calm manner Rei said, "Iori is right Naruto. It makes sense for you to set the explosives in town. Once Iori and I have set the charges I'll contact you and you can tell us when to blow the charges. We can then regroup in this grove before we head back to Konoha." Naruto nodded his head and then disappeared to go cause havoc in the village.

Almost immediately Iori and Rei headed off to the bridge. Iori was very curious as to how Rei and Naruto would be communicating since they didn't have any radios. However, Iori held back from asking Rei about that because now wasn't the proper time to ask. Once they were all back in Konoha Iori planed on asking the couple, but for now he figured he could trust them.

It took Rei and Iori ten minutes to get to the bridge by swimming in the river. They could have made it in five minutes, but they didn't want to sacrifice their stealth. When Iori reached the nearest wooden pylon of the bridge he grabbed the pillar and pulled himself up. Like most members of his clan Iori had built up an impressive amount of upper body strength for occasions like this. As long as he was only releasing his chakra on the pylon and not the surrounding water then the water wouldn't be disturbed because of the Kusanagi bloodline.

While Iori was scaling the pylon so he could set his assigned charges, Rei was working quickly on her charges. She was very calmly kneeling on the water and carefully wrapping her explosives around the pylons just above the water line. Once Rei had the explosive notes in the proper position she proceeded to attach a series of special wires between the notes. These wires would insure that all of the notes went off when one of the notes went off.

It took Rei a few minutes to carefully set and double check the wires. After Rei had finished that task she looked up to check on Iori's progress. Rei could immediately tell that Iori hadn't finished his part of the job and that he seemed to be struggling. She cupped her hands around her mouth and then whispered, "Pissh Iori. What's the hold up on your end?"

Iori twisted his head to face Rei and he said, "I've run into a snag. Two of the wires in my explosive kit are split. The package they were in is brand new so it must be a factory defect. I don't have enough wire to link all of the seals together. Right now I only have enough for 3 of the five tags."

Rei quickly started to think about what Iori had told her. Not having enough wire to insure that all the tags would go off at the same time was a big problem. Unfortunately Rei didn't have any extra wire on her to give to Iori. Luckily however, this problem wouldn't affect the mission much in the end. Quickly coming to a decision Rei whispered, "Just set and link the tags in the center of the bridge. Between your three charges and the charges I've set the other two tags should be ignited in the explosion."

Nodding his head Iori quickly got to work. It took him about 7 minutes to rewire everything according to Rei's instructions. Once everything on his end was set, Iori carefully climbed down and slowly slipped into the water. Iori then turned to Rei and said, "Okay Rei. Tell Naruto that this bridge is ready to be blown."

Rei closed her eyes and concentrated on the link between her and Naruto. A minute after she had sent her message Naruto replied. Opening her eyes Rei said, "Naruto understands. He says to blow the bridge in 5 minutes." Iori nodded his head, set the timer on the tags, and then he started to swim out to a safer distance. Rei was right there beside him in the river swimming as well.

Once both of them were a safe distance away from the bridge, Iori and Rei carefully waited for the five minutes to pass. When the 5 minutes had passed Iori and Rei watched as the Isesu Bridge went up in flames. At the same time the duo heard a series of explosions coming from the town. Knowing that staying around would just cause them more problems Iori and Rei quickly swam to the meeting spot.

* * *

It had been two days since the destruction of the Isesu Bridge and Team Sazan was now only 7 miles from the border. Even though they were almost home free the team hadn't relaxed their guard since almost safe is not the same as being safe. Thanks to their state of alertness Team Sazan detected the presence other people close by. Immediately all three members of Team Sazan stopped moving and the quickly started to talk to each other in battle sign language. Very quickly the team was decided to sneak up on the nearby people. If they were from Double Alliance Team Sazan planed to help out and if they were from the Circle Alliance Team Sazan planed to try and kill them.

Naruto quickly searched the area with the Ranseigan to find who the nearby people were and exactly where they were. A few moments latter Naruto disengaged the Ranseigan and said, "Its four Taki ninjas 100 feet from our current position West-Southwest. One of them has his face in the Id books. That person is Shibuki, son of Taki's leader. He's Chunin rank and it seems that he's leading a team of genin. They must be on a training mission to teach the genin patrol tactics in a relatively 'safe' area. Over all the Taki ninjas are disorganized and poorly aware of their surroundings."

Rei shook her head and said, "I don't like the idea of killing green genin. It's too much like killing civilians that aren't connected to a mission for my tastes. However even though I'm going to hate myself once this is all over, its better that we kill those kids now before they have a chance to grow." Both men turn to look at each other and then they nodded their heads at the same time.

Iori then turned to Rei and said, "We sneak in and then I hit them with a high power fire jutsu when they are huddled together. Or at least, I strike when all the genin are together and then we deal with the instructer. That way Rei, you don't have that on your conscience. Naruto, why don't you go after Shibuki? With your Ranseigan you can travel underground at kill the target just after I strike."

* * *

Shibuki looked at the team his father had entrusted to him and couldn't help but smile even as he wanted to pull out his hair. Reika could be so sweet at times it was almost hard to believe that she was the more infamous prank mistress in Taki. Ryoga could be such a bull headed boy and yet, it was so hilarious watching the boy become tongue tied when Reika batted her eyes at him. Tenchi was such a kind boy who would one day become a famous medic ninja. Of that, Shibuki was sure of.

The team was a relatively new team. It had been form two months ago and the genin were strait out of Taki's ninja school. Originally there had been a Jonin in charge of this team. However, Shibuki had been assigned to filling in the role of mentor for this team a month ago after the original leader was disabled in a special mission that the Jonin had been called to do.

At first, Shibuki had been a little unsure of himself when he took control of this team. Why wouldn't he after all, he was only a so-so Chunin who had to fill in for a very well loved and respected Jonin. And at first Shibuki's fears about his taking control the team did prove correct since the trio did not respond very well to him. However, as both he and his genin spent more time together the friction between them disappeared. He had come to be surer of himself and they had come to accept him as their leader. Currently the four of them were on their first C rank mission as a team patrolling the area.

Shibuki turned his attention away from his team and looked around the area. This part of Waterfall Country was always his favorite place. Not even Taki held as much appeal to him as this quite country area. Out here the war seemed so far away like it wasn't even going on. He liked it out here away from the war because the war seemed so pointless to him. Oh, Shibuki knew all about how the Circle Alliance would bring prosperity to Waterfall Country and thus to Taki. Or at least, Shibuki knew what his father had to say on the matter.

Suddenly Shibuki's danger sense flared up and he yelled out to his students, "Battle positions everyone!" He turned around to look at his students and suddenly he saw a huge fireball come flying at the genin. Time seemed to stop in a horrible stand-still for Shibuki as he watched the fireball hit Reika and then explode. For an instant of time Shibuki could see the pain, horror, and panic on Reika's face in crystal clarity before the fireball exploded completely consumed her.

After the fireball enveloped Reika it expanded at such speed and to such a size that Ryoga and Tenchi were caught in the explosion as well. Instantly Shibuki started to run towards the boys hoping that he might be able to save them. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Reika was gone because her body had been burnt to a crisp. There was no way that she could be alive after that attack and even if by some miracle she was still alive, there was nothing that he could do to save her life. Hopefully, Shibuki prayed, he would be able to save Ryoga and Tenchi's lives.

When Shibuki was about 15 feet away from where the boys lay, he suddenly saw a person pop out of the ground. Shibuki tried to doge the figure so that he could get into a better attack position. Unfortunately for Shibuki, his attacker seemed to have anticipated this and drove a kodachi strait into his heart. The last thing that Shibuki saw before death closed his eyes was his attacker's strange orange and purple eyes.

* * *

Naruto was walking through one of the outer parks in Konoha trying to get the dying face of the ninja he had recently killed out of his mind. Three days ago Naruto had made a mistake when he had slain that ninja. He should have killed the young man in the back or shifted his vision after he had driven Joshua into his opponent's heart. If he had done that then he wouldn't be suffering from the image of the person's face as that person died.

Why, Naruto wondered, why was that person's face haunting him so? The boy wasn't his first kill, hell, the young man wasn't even one of the first dozen kills so why was this person so different? Perhaps, Naruto thought, he was so bothered by that kill because his enemy seemed so similar to him. Or at least, was similar to what Naruto had hoped to do in a few years. Almost every Jonin in Konoha had trained, or at least had been assigned, a team of genin.

At that moment Naruto wished that Rei was nearby so that he could bury his face in her hair while hugging her. However, Rei was currently at her house talking with her brother and grandfather. She might come over later tonight and Naruto was hoping that she would, but for now he was on his own. Naruto had never told anyone, but Rei had become the pillar that allowed him to anchor himself and remain calm. Sure meditation helped him to stay calm at times. However, meditation did not help him nearly enough as her mere presence did.

The quiet solitude of the park was suddenly broken by the sound of Konohamaru running through the park and shouting. "There you are Naruto! I've been looking all over for you! I heard that you just got back from a mission behind enemy lines. What did you do? Steal a set of the enemy plans? Take out an important enemy general? Whatever it was I'm sure that those stupid Circle Alliance soldiers were no match for-"

Konohamaru was stopped in mid sentence by Naruto who backhanded Konohamaru and sent the boy sprawling onto the ground. Naruto turned to face Konohamaru and said with tears running down his face as his whole body shook, "Do you think this is war is a game Konohamaru?! Huh, do you?! Open your eyes boy, this isn't a game. The enemy soldiers aren't just impersonal drones kid. Their people just like you and me."

"Every time I or any other soldier kills an enemy we are killing someone's child, another person's sibling, and even more people's friend or love. They have hopes and dreams just as we do Konohamaru; hopes and dreams that will never come to pass because I or someone else has ended their lives. How would you feel if someone killed Meogi, Udon, Grandpa Sarutobi, or me huh Konohamaru? Every time a soldier on either side dies, someone out there is left with that feeling of loss. There is no glory in war Konohamaru, no honor can be found on the battlefield. All you can do is to try to live and make sure that your friends live so that someone else feels that loss so that you don't have to feel it."

In a shocked manner Konohamaru slowly raised his hand and felt where Naruto had struck him on his cheek. However, the pain on his cheek pale in comparison to the pain that Naruto's words and the accompanying revelation brought with them. The little boy started to sniffle and then slowly started to cry. Between the sobs Konohamaru said, "I'm sorry Naruto. I, I just wanted to hear about your mission. Al-Almost all of my friends have been going on about h-how cool their friends are and the w-war stories they tell."

Letting out a sigh, Naruto kneeled down and gently hugged Konohamaru. Then in a concerned big brotherly tone Naruto said, "I'm sorry as well Konohamaru. I shouldn't have hit you and I'm sorry about losing my temper and striking you. Can you forgive me?" Konohamaru nodded his head and with how Naruto was hugging the boy he felt instead of saw Konohamaru's reply.

Naruto got up and then he picked Konohamaru up off the ground. Before Konohamaru could realize what was happening he found himself up in the air sitting on Naruto's shoulders. To Konohamaru's surprise Naruto then twisted his head so that Konohamaru could partally see Naruto's face. Naruto then called up, "Hey Konohamaru. Why don't we go and get some Ramen? Personally I think going and eating at Ichiraku's would be a lot better right now then hanging out here in the park agree?" Konohamaru nodded his head and then started to smile and he felt the wind whipping in his hair and Naruto ran to their favorite restaurant.


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: If you still believe after all of my other disclaimers that I own Naruto in some way, shape, or form, then please go talk to my representative at his home office. And remember to bring some hot sauce with you, he sent me an e-mail saying that the last moron tasted too bland.

Katshuito sat by the front door facing the main steps from the street to the house in the morning light. The war had been going on for almost 3 months now and Konoha was no longer filled with jubilation that the promises of an easy victory brought. Now the village was filled with a dreary acceptance of losses, and quick lived cheer of successful missions. However, that didn't really matter too much to Katshuito at the moment. What mattered to him was the fact that Team Sazan had returned to Konoha yesterday and Rei had once again spent the night away from home. Considering what Katshuito knew about his little sister, he was almost 100 certain that Rei had been staying at Naruto's place.

Personally Katshuito didn't know how to handle this particular situation. This was in part because he didn't have enough information to make a decision. Rei could just be staying on Naruto's couch, sleeping in the same room as the boy, or even- as a brother it was best not to go down that line of thought. No matter what was actually going on, Katshuito was going to talk to Rei and figure out what to do. As long as Rei was honest about what was going on between her and Naruto Katshuito figured he would be a fairly reasonable man.

Just as Katshuito returned his mind to the present Rei came walking up the steps. Katshuito noticed that when Rei noticed that he was waiting for her she momentarily stopped walking. A more paranoid and over protective brother might take her pause as a sign of guilt, but Katshuito figured she was simply surprised to see him. Once Rei had climbed the steeps he got up and said, "Good morning little sister. Please, let's go inside and talk." Rei quickly bowed her head and followed her brother into the house.

Once the siblings were inside the house Katshuito led Rei over to the living room and gestured for her to sit down. After they had both said down Katshuito folded his hands and looked at Rei. For about a minute the room was silent as Katshuito looked into his sister's eyes as if he was trying to find something. Then he broke the silence and said, "Rei, I want you to answer my questions as truthfully as you can. Some of my questions may be difficult for you to answer, the gods know that it will be difficult for me to ask them, but I need you to be honest with me. As the acting head of the family while Grandfather is away at the main fire temple, I need to know as much as I can before I make a decision."

Rei nodded her head and nervously waited for Katshuito to start questioning her. Even though she didn't want to admit it, she had been expecting something like this for almost a month now. One doesn't need to be a ninja after all to tell if someone is sleeping in their bed at night or not.

Katshuito closed his eyes and calmly said, "Did you stay over at Naruto's place last night?" Rei calmly nodded her head and waited for the next question. With a stern look on his face Katshuito then said, "Did you sleep in the same room as Naruto?" Like before Rei nodded her head. "Were you in the same bed as Naruto?" once again Rei nodded her head. Katshuito paused for a second to mentally prepare himself to ask the next question, "Did you bed Naruto?" Time seemed to stand still for Katshuito as he watched Rei slowly nod her head with a look of fear and a slight bit of shame in her eyes.

Like any brother, Katshuito wanted to kill or at least castrate Naruto at that moment. However, now was not the time rage induced comments and promises. Very slowly in a cold tone Katshuito said, "Explain." While he might be furious at what had happened, Katshuito was not about to pass judgment on his beloved sister over this until he knew everything so he could make a fair judgment.

Rei looked down at the table and quietly said, "Last mission we had to kill a few squads of enemy soldiers in an unimportant area to misdirect enemy intelligence. Once the team came back to Konoha I headed over to Naruto's apartment as I usually do. After dinner Naruto and I got ready for bed and then I well-" Rei couldn't continue talking about what had happened last night past that point and her cheeks flamed up. A girl discussing her sex life with her brother was just not something that most girls could do.

Closing his eyes Katshuito prayed that he could have the patience to deal with this situation and which that Grandfather could have taken care of this problem. Grandfather was better able to handle these sorts of situations and had probably seen it coming while he had turned a blind eye to it. With the war going on and the two of them dating he really should have thought of this possibility. Not only that, but there was also the fact that almost of Jinchuuriki the Higurashi family had encountered in the past were linked to the family by marriage. The only reason why he and Rei didn't have a Jinchurriki ancestor was because of mere chance.

Finally finding the best solution to the situation, Katshuito opened his eyes and said, "Rei, you are to go get Naruto and if someone has power of attorney over him then that person as well. As soon as Naruto and the person with power of attorney are here we will draw up a marriage contract between you and Naruto. Once the contract is written up you and Naruto will sign it. Then Rei, you will pack your things and move into Naruto's apartment."

Katshuito looked at Rei's downcast figure and he felt a pang of sadness within him. Then he reached over and gently lifted Rei's chin so she was looking at him. In a gentle and loving manner Katshuito said, "Sis I still love you never forget that or think that I don't love you. Also I want you to know that you can still come over here any time that you want. That means that you can use the family library just like you always do. It's just that there are consequences for every action that someone does and the consequence of your actions is that you can't live here anymore."

Rei looked at her brother and then slowly nodded her head. She had been raised to accept that she was in charge of what she did with her life and thus she was in charge of her actions. This meant that the consequences of her actions whether good or bad were her responsibility. In this case she would have to accept that her home for the past 15 years could no longer be her home.

* * *

Naruto carefully set the box he was carrying down and turned to look at Rei Higur- no, it was Rei Uzumaki now and had been for three hours now. It seemed so surreal to Naruto that he was married to Rei. Part of him still expected that he was going to wake up any second now and realized that this was all a dream. However, this was real and Rei was his wife.

When he had woken up in the morning Naruto had never suspected that he and Rei would be getting married today. Around eight in the morning Rei had shown up telling him that he needed to go to her house immediately. Once Naruto got to Rei's house he found Jiraiya sitting next to Katshuito with a conflicted look on the Hokage's face. It was then that Naruto learn why he had been summoned by Katshuito. Naruto had never been as embarrassed as he had today when Katshuito revealed his new sex life to Jiraiya.

After Katshuito had explained what was going on Jiraiya and him had talked a bit about what to do about Rei and Naruto with the duo in question listening in on everything. At first Jiraiya had suggested the idea of delaying the wedding until ether the war ended or Rei had a child. This was the usual practice among ninjas in order to help protect their loved ones. However, Katshuito had held firm that Naruto and Rei needed to wed and in the end Jiraiya had capitulated. The two of them quickly wrote up a marriage contract and then had Rei and Naruto signed it.

Rei noticed the look that Naruto was sending her and figured that he was remembering what had happened today. Knowing Naruto like she did, he was probably kicking himself for not resisting her and being afraid that she would be upset at him for their jutsu wedding. She then walked over, wrapped her arms around Naruto's neck, and then softly whispered, "Its okay Naruto, don't blame yourself. Everything will be just fine. I knew the consequences of bedding you and I chose to accept the consequences last night."

Naruto then turned to face Rei and he said, "Are you sure Rei? You honestly don't mind the fact that we were found out so quickly and that we're now married. I mean I wanted to marry you, but that was in the future. I never expected it to be so soon."

In answer to his question Rei gently kissed Naruto and said, "Life's never something that you can expect dear. Even with your bloodline you should have realized that."

Naruto gave a small smile at Rei's jib and then he said, "Rei, what will we do? I mean, what will we do if you end up pregnant?"

This question stopped Rei for a moment as she thought about it. In all of the excitement today she hadn't considered that possibility. After giving it a few minutes of thought Rei said, "We'll handle that when it comes up Naruto. If I become pregnant I'll transfer off of the field duty roster and teach at the academy or some other job in town. Yes it would be slightly annoying to be out of the field, but on the other hand it would help you out by giving you the parental version of the Ranseigan."

When Rei saw the look of shock on Naruto's face Rei started to smile and then she said, "Don't worry Naruto. I don't plan on becoming pregnant for a few years yet." Rei then got up and nodded to the bedroom, "Come Naruto. We can finish unpacking all of my things in the morning. For now I want you and me in our bed celebrating our wedding. After all, when the horse is out of the barn there is no reason to lock it up anymore."

* * *

Jiraiya sat in his office trying to focus on his work, but he just couldn't. His mind kept on drifting to Naruto and Rei's impromptu wedding. While Jiraiya could understand Katshuito's anger at the fact that Naruto and Rei had done the horizontal mumbo, he wasn't angry at all with either of the newlyweds. War was a deadly and stressful business. In the last war Jiraiya had seen many ninjas, some just out of the academy, seeking comfort from each other in that particular manner. It was a coping mechanism for many to deal with all the death and destruction that war brings.

There was another reason why Jiraiya didn't mind Naruto and Rei bedding each other. Jiraiya might not have put as much stock in bloodline limits as many of the people on the council did, but he did recognize that bloodline limits were a useful tool. Given the dangers inherent in war, it would be all too easy for Naruto to die and have the Ranseigan disappear forever. Now Jiraiya was not about to lock Naruto up for breeding purposes, but he would definitely try to encourage the new Uzumaki couple to start having kids.

Putting his pen down on his desk, Jiraiya just sighed and said, "Maybe I should assign Naruto and Rei to village defense for two or three years. Give them time to get use to marriage, hone their skills, and maybe have a child or two. Both of them are good ninjas, but there are still better ninjas that could be out in the field if they weren't needed to defend the village. Besides, Naruto's Ranseigan makes him even more useful then a Huyga when it comes to watching out for enemies and Konoha doesn't have too many seal masters. Regrettably the war will probably still be going on by then."

"What should I do about Iori? The boy's a good ninja, but from what I've read and seen I don't think he could take a long stint at being a village guard. I can't constantly give that kid missions to due or immediately reassign him without raising the Uzumakis' suspicions. Love those two, but I don't want them mad at me. Wait a second; one of the liaisons with Suna will be coming home next month. I'll just offer Iori the position of third liaison to Suna next month. That way I can get the most out of my ninjas without causing anyone to go stir crazy."

* * *

Pain stood before Madara in Madara's secret throne room. The supposed head of Akatsuki then said, "It has been several months Lord Madara since this current war started. All hopes that it would be quickly resolved have been pointless. Also we have underestimated the amount of revenue this war would generate for the various hidden villages. If the war somehow ended today we would have to wait almost a decade for the villages to reach the required economic levels for our plans.

Madara listened to Pain's words and wished that he could have called Pain a liar. However, Madara had learned long ago that at times things just didn't go your way and this was apparently one of those times. Oh he was frustrated beyond all measure that Akatsuki was almost useless to him now, but except for the fact that his plans had been destroyed Madara didn't care about how the war was going.

Unknown to anyone except perhaps Itachi, Madara was dying. The 'eternal' Mangekyou Sharingan had vastly prolonged Madara's life, but it had not truly granted him eternal life. There was only one way that Madara could save his own life and that was to gain a demonic body. He couldn't use Orochimaru's body swapping jutsu because of his eyes they bound him to his body. Madara had formed Akatsuki for the sole purpose of collecting the nine bijuu. Once all the demons were captured he had planed to force them to transform his body into a demonic one in exchange for their freedom thus cheating death.

Now, with this damn war, Madara had resigned himself to his death. He had spent the past few months trying to rework his calculations to try and use the three jinchuuriki only for his plans, but in the end he had given up. The King of Hell Statue, which was critical to his plan of forcing the bijuu to transform him, needed all night bijuu sealed within it in order to work.

Turning to face Pain Madara said, "Listen to me Pain. I will be leaving shortly to prepare myself for my end." On seeing the shocked look on Pain's face Madara chuckled and said, "I am old Pain, too old. By the time the Bijuu return to the mortal world I will be dead. Therefore I am leaving command of Akatsuki to you so you now truly are the leader just like everyone else believes. Before I go however, I leave you with an order and a give. My final order is to destroy Konoha. As a gift, I will use my contacts to gain official pardons for those members of Akatsuki who hail from the so called Circle Alliance. Use their pardons to incorporate Akatsuki into Ame's military as high rank officers."

In his mind Pain was crying at the lost of his father figure and cursing the very concept of war. Thanks to war he had lost his family, lost Yahiko, and now was losing the closest thing to a father he had ever had. He had stopped considering Jiraiya as a father figure long ago ever since the Toad Saninn had abandoned him and his friends. Pain nodded his head and said, "As you wish Lord Madara. I shall do exactly as you instruct and Konoha will be burnt to the ground."

THE END

* * *

Author's notes: I really hate to do this to you guys and girls, but I've got to end the story here. You see, I'm having trouble sorting out how this war is supposed to go. Yes Naruto and thus Konoha are supposed to win in the end but I can't see how I'm going to get from here to there. Also, I don't have the skills yet to write a grandiose epic battle yet and have it be the level that you people deserve. This is very unfortunate because that's mostly what I see in my head whenever I try to figure out how to write the story. So I'm ending the story here where it really starts to shift from how it was in the beginning. Maybe in a few months I'll write a sequel covering the rest of the war and the Uzumakis' new life together in a few months. If I do I will post a note on this story to alert you guys who have the story on story alert.


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